Roof area in Lambeth as large as 187 football pitches remains unutilised for solar energy installations, a development which could save 100 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.

That’s according to a new analysis by specialist provider of data Energeo, which assessed almost 100,000 buildings and identified 40,000 sites suitable for solar photovoltaic (PV) infrastructure.

The unutilised roof area covers a total of 1,325,000 square metres, over which the financial benefit of solar PV deployment during a 20-year lifetime is estimated to be as high as £179 million on electricity savings, export revenue and installation costs.

Matthew Browning, Sustainability Officer, London Borough of Lambeth, said: “Energeo delivered a comprehensive analysis within a few weeks, which has given us the ability to make a strong business case for funding and an evidence base using payback thresholds for prioritising investment.”

Ian Dee, CEO of Energeo, commented: “It’s vital that local authorities make sound, strategic investment decisions for their net zero initiatives and we are delighted to be helping Lambeth and other councils across the UK.”