Barnet's first community solar roof is finished at Burnt Oak Leisure Centre: 220 panels, about £36,000 saved over 20 years, and a share offer next spring.
Burnt Oak Leisure Centre now has 220 solar panels on its roof. It is the first community solar installation on any building the council owns. (Barnet Council)
The panels were installed by Community Energy Barnet, a community benefit society run by volunteer residents. It was set up in December 2024, and this is its first finished project.
What the roof will do
The council gives these figures for the 101.2kWp installation:
- about 76,728kWh of electricity a year
- more than 70% of it used by the leisure centre, with the rest exported to the grid
- around £1,800 a year off the centre’s energy bills
- around £36,000 saved and 241 tonnes of carbon avoided over an estimated 20-year life
- about £8,800 set aside over that life for a future Community Benefit Fund in Barnet
The savings are forecasts. The council says they depend on energy prices, and the carbon figure uses the government’s conversion factors for the year of installation. The centre will still draw some power from the national grid.
The site was picked for its large roof and its high energy use. GLL, the charitable social enterprise that runs the centre for the council under the Better brand, will buy the electricity the panels generate.
Who paid for it
The installation was paid for with grants and, in time, money from residents. Three grants are named:
| Funder | Grant |
|---|---|
| GLA London Community Energy Fund | £24,500 |
| Barnet Council Community Energy Fund | £15,000 |
| Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme | £5,000 |
Those three add up to £44,500. The council has not published the full cost of the installation.
Repowering London, a not-for-profit that supports 10 community energy co-operatives in the capital, gave technical, legal and financial help. Its finance arm paid for the installation up front so the work could go ahead before the project passes into community ownership. Carbon3 was also a partner.
“Through securing grant funding, we have achieved this at no cost to Barnet’s residents,” said Cllr Alan Schneiderman, the council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change. The council’s target is a Net Zero borough by 2042.
Jeremy Gould, National Sustainability Manager at GLL, said leisure centres are “energy-intensive buildings”, which makes cutting their carbon and energy costs “a real priority”.
What it means for you
- You will be able to buy a stake. A community share offer is planned for next spring. It will let Barnet residents invest in the Burnt Oak panels and in future community-owned renewable projects. The final model and terms are not yet set.
- More roofs could follow. Community Energy Barnet says it is developing a pipeline of further solar projects across the borough. Its own site is communityenergybarnet.org.
- Surplus income stays local. The community benefit fund, about £8,800 over the project’s life, is ringfenced for Barnet.
If you want to be told when the share offer opens, Community Energy Barnet is the organisation to follow. For other council services in the area, see our guides to bin collection days and council tax bands.
Have your say