Nottingham City Council is set to expand its renewable energy programme with a major investment in solar power at three of its busiest leisure centres — Clifton, Southglade and Ken Martin — as part of a new £800,000 scheme designed to cut carbon emissions and save millions in energy costs.
The project, to be considered by the Council’s Commissioning and Procurement Executive Committee on 11 November 2025, forms Phase 2 of the city’s Solar PV installation programme. Together, the three leisure centres currently account for 6.4 per cent of the Council’s entire energy bill, making them among its highest-consuming public assets.
Under the new proposal, 277.99 kWp of solar capacity will be installed across the three buildings. The systems are expected to generate around 249,000 kWh of clean electricity in the first year — meeting almost one-fifth of their combined on-site energy demand and reducing reliance on energy imports from the national grid.
According to Council estimates, the installations will reduce annual carbon emissions by around 51 tonnes of CO₂, with a further five tonnes saved through the integration of solar power into pool heating systems. Over the 30-year lifespan of the equipment, this will equate to more than £3.6 million in avoided energy costs and a significant contribution to Nottingham’s Carbon Neutral 2028 target.
The total project cost of up to £800,000 is to be funded primarily through a £700,000 grant application to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero under the Mayoral Renewable Energy Fund (MRF). The Council will contribute £100,000 in match funding from capital receipts, which will later be repaid from the energy savings achieved over the next three years.
Officials describe the financial case as strong and resilient. Year-one savings are projected at nearly £60,000, with an internal rate of return of 10.6 per cent and a payback period of about ten years. Modelling has been stress-tested against energy price volatility and borrowing costs to ensure the investment remains viable under conservative scenarios.
The proposed systems will use Tier-1 photovoltaic panels and SolarEdge inverter technology with live performance monitoring and a 20-year warranty. These specifications are designed to maximise direct on-site energy use, minimise export losses to the grid and reduce maintenance costs.
Each of the three sites will be delivered under separate design-and-build agreements through the Scape procurement framework, a nationally approved route designed to ensure value for money and compliance with the Subsidy Control Act 2022. The Corporate Director for Communities, Environment and Resident Services would be authorised to award the contracts following committee approval.
A risk assessment carried out for the report notes that Nottingham City Council has already received strong indications of support for its MRF grant application. The project will only proceed once the formal grant award letter is received, expected in mid-October. To avoid losing up to £700,000 in funding, installation must be completed by 31 March 2026.
The report also highlights that both Clifton and Southglade leisure centres already have smaller solar arrays installed, with initial structural surveys showing the roofs are suitable for expansion. Full assessments will take place before work begins, and a 10 per cent contingency has been built into the budget to cover any unforeseen cost increases.
Planning permission and grid connection applications will be submitted early, and the systems — all well below the 1MW planning threshold — are not expected to raise visual or environmental objections. Previous solar schemes by the Council, such as at the Harvey Hadden Sports Village, have set a strong precedent for approval.
In the longer term, the report notes, the council will retain control over energy purchasing and metering even if management of the leisure centres is later transferred to a third party. Power Purchase Agreements can be built into any future contracts to ensure the city continues to benefit from the electricity generated.