MCS, the national standards organisation for renewables, highlighted Stirling’s progress in this key green technology in their study, Renewing Britain: The Changing Landscape of Home-Grown Energy 2008 – 2021.

Using data it had collated over the past 14 years, MCS described Stirling as a ‘forest’ of small-scale renewables and showed that the Stirling Council area:

• Ranked the highest on the Scottish mainland, and the fourth across the whole of the UK, for small-scale renewable installations as a percentage of households (14.10%).
• Leads the way in Scotland and is second in the UK for the concentration of homes with solar panels (12.4%)
• Bucked the national trend for high installations of small-scale renewables in local authority areas with predominately rural populations.

Carol Beattie, Stirling Council chief executive, said: “Tackling climate change has been a top priority for Stirling Council for many years and it’s fantastic to see our commitment to the climate agenda recognised by the national standards body for renewables.

“Over the years we’ve made significant strides in cutting our carbon footprint through home-grown green energy projects like our Housing Service’s significant investment in solar panels.

“We are also now starting to see the benefits of our larger renewables projects, like our award winning District Heating Network at Forthside.

“The MCS report shows how far we have come, and the benefits the work we’ve committed to is having. However, the driving force behind this success is the belief that we all can, and must do more.”

She added: “The council has just launched a public consultation on the first draft of our Climate and Nature Emergency Plan, and I would urge our communities to give us their feedback to help Stirling continue to do all it can to fight climate change.”

The consultation on the first draft of the council’s Climate and Nature Emergency Plan is available on the Engage Stirling platform.

In October 2019, the council declared a Climate Emergency and the Plan will be a major driver in Stirling’s efforts to tackle the climate crisis head on.

Mrs Beattie added: “The council has a responsibility to lead by example in averting climate change and it will continue to do so – but everyone across Stirling will need to play their part.

“This is why we are asking for residents and business to share their views on the Plan to help us build a greener, healthier and more prosperous future for everyone who lives and works in Stirling.”

Some key council highlights for cutting carbon emissions:

• The installation of 39,000 solar panels across more than 4,000 council houses.
• Transforming Castleview Park and Ride site into one of Scotland’s largest low carbon travel hubs.
• Owning and operating a ground-breaking heating network, which is the first in the UK to use a mix of cutting-edge renewable technologies to harness energy from waste water.
• Replacement of the council’s fossil-fuel fleet vehicles with electric cars, vans and minibuses to bring the total electric fleet to 80 over the next six months.