Lib Dems Eco-Power Portsmouth's Business Future

When Lib Dem-led Portsmouth City Council bought Lakeside North Harbour, the business park developed on the site of IBM's former EU head office, we had a vision of Portsmouth being the natural home for business on the south coast. Five years later and we've seen that vision realised, with multi-national companies choosing to invest in our city.

Now, your Lib Dem-led council has continued to invest in our city, local businesses, and the environment by unveiling the country's largest solar car parking canopy. This innovative scheme will generate 4,000MWh per year, meeting around 40% of the site's entire electricity useage and preventing more than 900 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

This week Cllr Kimberly Barrett, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Greening the City, visited the council-owned business park to see the 8,545 solar panels that have been installed on buildings and car parks as part of this groundbreaking project. At times, these new solar panels which enable Lakeside to run completely ‘off-grid’ thanks to the electricity they provide - enough to power 1,300 family homes every year.

The Lakeside solar panel project was given the go ahead by Cllr Kimberly Barrett and the Lib Dem-led council in 2023, with the aim of building one of the largest car park solar panel and battery storage installations in the country as part of our ambition to be a net-zero city by 2030.