The project was made possible thanks to a series of grants from M&S Energy Fund, The Carbon Trust and Kenwyn Community Fund.

The Kenwyn Community Fund allocates money for eligible community projects with priority given to educational, environmental and community projects or initiatives within the Kenwyn Parish Council area. These have to be consistent with the principles of sustainable development and must deliver positive outcomes for the community living in the Parish.

One of the criteria for receiving the money is projects involved in the installation of energy efficiency methods and they awarded the Trust £8,000 for the solar panels. A further £12,000 came from the M&S Energy Fund, and over £3,000 from the Carbon Trust.

The Trust then turned to Business Supporters ZLC Energy to help with the initial planning, approval, design and installation of the panels. The firm has a strong ethos believing strongly in the need for alternatives to coal, oil, gas or nuclear fuel sources. The work was carried out within a week and since it was activated has resulted in a reduction of four tonnes of carbon and generated hundreds of pounds of cost savings.

Serena Pettigrew-Jolly, Cornwall Wildlife Trust Business Support Manager says,

“Climate change is already impacting on a variety of marine species in Cornwall and making life difficult for our wildlife. Any effort we can make to reduce the amount of carbon pumped into the atmosphere that is driving this change is worthwhile. At Cornwall Wildlife Trust, we are keen to lead from the front and demonstrate our commitment to creating a thriving and resilient natural environment is within reach.”

Trevor Dee, Head of Finance and Administration for the Trust says,

“We are producing electricity which will benefit the Trust to the tune of £3,695 year and we expect to use 86% of the electricity generated by the panels. This means the Trust’s income can be maximised for local conservation work, and for this we are sincerely grateful to all organisations involved.”

Managing Director, ZLC Matthew Shepherd says,

“It was a pleasure to work with the Trust on the solar PV installation. It is encouraging seeing that the organisation is making a positive step towards carbon reduction and wanting to generate clean, green energy for its use at its offices. We assessed a variety of options with the Trust and identified that solar PV was an obvious choice. We hope to continue working with them to help them reduce their energy costs further and promote the generation of clean renewable energies.”

Cornwall Wildlife Trust in partnership with ZLC Energy can now announce an exciting offer for members of Cornwall Wildlife Trust. For every installation made using the code ‘Cornwall Wildlife Trust’, ZLC Energy will give a £100 discount and donate a further £100 to the Trust. Visit www.zlcenergy.co.uk for more details. Offer valid until 31st December 2018.