Questions to the Mayor of London – answered at on 19 March 2021.
What assessment has been made of TfL’s eligibility for the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and whether this can be used to bring forward the retrofit accelerator scheme for solar energy generation?
I welcome the Government’s invitation for applications to its Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. The scheme was designed to target energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation projects, which could be delivered by March 2021 (or at latest September 2021, with bids delivered by the earlier date being considered more favourably). Funding was prioritised on cost per tonne of carbon abated and ability to meet delivery timescales.
TfL submitted two bids for energy efficiency measures across London Underground Stations and Head Office buildings. TfL considered a bid for delivery of solar photovoltaic projects, but discounted this based on it being unfeasible to deliver solar within the funding timeframes, given the stringent design and safety requirements associated with TfL’s operational environment. In addition, Solar PV would not have met the criteria for carbon abatement on its own.
Eligible bids to the fund far exceeded the £1bn on offer and TfL’s funding applications were not selected.