National Trust invests £30m in renewable energy

The conservation charity is investing in more than 40 projects

The National Trust is to invest £30 million to extend its renewable energy programme.

The investment, by Europe’s biggest conservation charity, marks a milestone towards reaching its targets to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, cut energy usage by 20% and source 50% from renewable sources on its land by 2020.

The National Trust is investing in more than 40 further projects which include:

• A 200kW lake source heating project at Blickling Estate in Norfolk which will remove two oil tanks and 25,572 litres per annum of oil consumption with an estimated saving of 68 tonnes of CO2 per year.
• Two biomass boilers at Upton House in Warwickshire to heat the mansion and other areas saving an estimated 55 tonnes of CO2 per year.
• A 250kW hydro scheme at Hayeswater in Cumbria where there is a legacy of hydropower from historic corn mills and water wheels. This project will provide an income stream to support conservation work on National Trust land.

Patrick Begg, rural enterprises director at the National Trust, said: “Many of the properties in our care are energy intensive and in remote areas without access to mains gas. Installing renewable technology in these places is a huge challenge. For instance we found that connecting hydros to the grid is more complicated than we expected. We have learnt a great deal and we will continue to do so.

“The success we have seen in decommissioning oil tanks, lowering our energy costs and reducing carbon emissions has shown us that renewables play a vital part in us reaching our 2020 energy targets and in delivering more for our core conservation mission.”

The National Trust’s renewable energy programme could also help save up to £4 million on its energy costs each year. Electricity generated from some of the projects will be sold to the grid providing the charity with a source of income.