Shropshire and Staffordshire are way ahead of other West Midlands counties for generating renewable energy, new figures show.
In a comparison of West Midlands counties’ renewable energy use by the think tank Green Alliance, Shropshire and Staffordshire vie for first place, with impressive levels of solar power and biomass for heat. Herefordshire also has a large amount of biomass heating.
And, contrary to popular belief, the West Midlands is quite sunny enough, as the study shows that all six counties have good levels of rooftop solar, with more than 50,000 households across the region boasting solar panels.
Locally, Cannock Chase was the top local authority, with over a third (34%) of the area’s electricity consumption coming from renewable sources. The majority of Cannock Chase’s renewable energy capacity is from landfill gas, electricity from biomass and waste, and anaerobic digestion, showing how an area’s electricity needs can be met by a diversity of renewable sources.
For the region as a whole, renewables are generating only 5% of its electricity consumption, compared to the East of England, for example, at 28%, and neighbouring Wales, at 36%. This shows that the West Midlands still has plenty of scope to develop the industry locally.