Kentish Town City Farm
In 2005 we secured funding of nearly £20,000 from EDF’s Green Fund and Clear Skies to install 8.1m2 of roof integrated solar thermal panel on Kentish Town City Farm and assist in the development of onsite educational resources to complement their new environmental education programme.
We determined that a solar water heating installation would best meet the needs of the farm, as all visiting schoolchildren must wash their hands before leaving. The installation was made more affordable by planning it to coincide with other major building work and refurbishment.
A solar thermal system of this nature has very few on-going costs, making it a practical choice for community projects wishing to reduce their environmental impact. The cost of the electricity used by the system is negligible and no complex maintenance work is required on the system in normal operation. The solar installation will result in lower fuel bills for the Farm and reduced energy consumption and CO2 emissions, year after year.
The farm is an educational and recreational project that developed out of the needs of local people. Initiated in 1972, through the medium of an existing community group, it has provided animals, gardening space, horse riding and a focus for youth education and community work for thousands of users per year. With the planned development of further community resources at the Farm, it will be accessible by a wide range of cultural groups and residents, thereby encouraging further community cohesion. The installation will assist with the capacity building of the many different community groups in the area.