North Ayrshire has been named as one of the top 10 UK areas with the biggest increase in renewable energy installations.

A study by BOXT had North Ayrshire Council in 10th position in a list dominated by Scottish local authorities.

Top of the UK list was East Renfrewshire, with Clackmannanshire, Midlothian, West Lothian, Aberdeenshire, Dundee City and South Lanarkshire also making the top 10.

The team at BOXT analysed the number of renewable energy installations each local authority installed between 2020-2021 to reveal which UK areas had seen the greatest increase in installations.

BOXT founder Andrew Kerr said: "It is undeniable that installing renewable energy solutions at home is an effective way to save money on energy bills in the long term. While electricity and gas bills remain high across the country, many are turning to renewable sources of energy, including photovoltaic and biomass.

“South Scotland was one of the worst-affected areas by electricity bill rises, experiencing a 53.72 per cent increase in just one year."

Councillor Tony Gurney, cabinet member for green environment and economy at North Ayrshire Council, said: “Climate change affects us all and addressing the challenges it poses remains one of our key priorities.

“We have launched a series of initiatives which are already having a significant impact in reducing our carbon emissions.

“Since 2005, area-wide emissions have reduced in North Ayrshire by 42.6 per cent while the council’s own emissions have decreased by more than 68 per cent.

“We have implemented a raft of measures right across the council to ensure we are leading the way.

“A large part of this effort has been the increase in energy renewable installations we have delivered and are continuing to deliver in North Ayrshire, including solar installations on council-owned buildings and on council housing.

“We are now well advanced with our plans for two council-owned solar PV farms built on former landfill sites at Nethermains between Kilwinning and Irvine, and at Shewalton in Irvine.

“The two projects, worth £12.8million, are expected to be generating green energy by next year. This will be a transformational project which will provide clean, renewable energy and help us in our drive to reduce carbon emissions.

“In addition, we are investigating the use of a separate derelict site to generate renewable energy from solar and wind, whilst supporting increased biodiversity on the site. We are looking at ways to use this renewable energy in new industrial buildings, helping to attract business and investment into North Ayrshire.

“While it’s pleasing to see North Ayrshire ranked as one of the best performing areas for renewable energy installations, we know we need to go further and faster.

“We all have a part to play in combatting change and if we want to get to net zero carbon emissions by 2030.”

To find out more visit: https://www.boxt.co.uk/news/guides/boxt-energy-report