Streetlight improvements reduce energy use and costs 

By early Summer 2025, Cornwall Council’s Highway Technology team will have replaced all standard highway lanterns with energy-efficient LED lights – this isn’t a simple upgrade – it’s a game changer.

LED lights consume 50% less energy than traditional lights. By the end of this financial year, we'll have saved 4,741,996 kWh of energy since the start of the programme, thanks to switching to LED lights and turning off lights where needed. 

Once works are complete, we’ll have replaced 53,400 lights and be saving 3,453,251 kWh every year. That’s enough energy to power 1,278 homes for a year! LED lights have an average lifespan of up to 25,000 hours, meaning fewer replacements, less maintenance, and more reliable lighting. 

The benefits don’t stop there.

Improved lighting can enhance visibility, contributing to overall road safety and community wellbeing. Additionally, these lights benefit the environment and protect surrounding habitats. Cornwall, with its two large dark skies areas, will greatly benefit as our LED lights come with features like dimming, timer illumination, and remote monitoring - these features allow us to adjust lighting based on actual need and help us to conserve energy, while still providing sufficient light where it's most needed.

As part of our commitment to sustainability, we are also implementing the strategic turning off of certain lights during off-peak hours. This initiative aims to find the right balance between energy savings and maintaining community safety. We are closely monitoring the impact and welcome any feedback from the community to ensure that we meet everyone’s needs.

This project isn’t just about upgrading lights; it’s about leading our community towards a sustainable future. And the impact doesn’t have to stop at our streets. We encourage you to explore the benefits of LED lighting in your own homes. 

We will continue to explore new solutions and ways to improve and make the Highways Electrical area more efficient.

Discover Cornwall's renewable energy heritage

A new guide Our Renewable Energy Heritage explores the windmills, watermills, and tide-mills on and around the Roseland in Cornwall - historic sites where communities have harnessed renewable energy for generations. It also highlights the important role of renewable energy in addressing climate change and protecting our biodiversity.

By understanding our past, we can gain valuable insight into how renewable energy can shape a more sustainable future.
 
Hard copies are being distributed at a local level and are available in local public libraries. A digital copy is available by clicking the link below.

Our-Renewable-Energy-Heritage-Participa-Cornwall-web-version.pdf

The guide was published by Participa Cornwall CIC with support from Cornwall Council’s Climate and Nature Fund, alongside generous donations from Cornish Gems and members of the local community.
 

Cornwall’s new 10-year plan for active and sustainable leisure 

Cornwall Council’s Cabinet has approved the On the Move Framework for Leisure Activity in Cornwall 2024-2034, a 10-year plan to help everyone in Cornwall be more active, more often.

It aims to create the right support, opportunities, and spaces for people to improve their health and wellbeing. It also recognises the environmental impact of leisure centres, especially those with heated swimming pools, and sets out ways to address their high carbon emissions. Reducing carbon emissions from these facilities is challenging, but significant progress is underway. 

Greenwich Leisure Limited, which operates 9 of Cornwall Council’s leisure centres, has made great headway in energy efficiency. Their efforts have led to an impressive 55% reduction in carbon emissions across their sites, helping the environment and protecting against rising energy costs.

By working together on funding bids, Cornwall Council and its partners have been able to secure national funding to support sustainability efforts. In 2024, with support from South West Net Zero Hub, the Council and leisure operators secured £430,000 from the Sport England Swimming Pool Fund to install 35kW solar PV systems across 5 council-owned leisure centres

This investment is a big step towards making Cornwall’s leisure facilities more energy-efficient and sustainable for the future!

South West Net Zero Hub release Briefing Note on Government’s Clean Power 2030 plan 

At the end of last year, the Government published the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, setting out a pathway to a clean power system by 2030. 

Actions set out in the plan include grid connections reform, addressing issues and blockages in the planning system, reforming electricity markets, and supporting greater flexibility in the electricity system. The plan includes a key role for local energy, with an ambition of up to 8 GW of local and community energy. In 2025 we are expecting further developments, including the Local Power Plan and the formation of Great British Energy. 

For details of Regional Policy and Strategy see: Regional Policy and Strategy - South West Net Zero Hub

Study highlights the complex changes and threats facing Cornwall’s sand dunes 

The study, led by experts in coastal processes at the University of Plymouth, focused on 31 sites along Cornwall’s north and south coasts. The results paint a varied picture of how dunes have been impacted over recent years by some of the most energetic storms ever to hit the Cornish coast. Read more

University of Plymouth leading exciting research 

The University of Plymouth is leading a number of exciting research projects across construction, agriculture and recycling in efforts to achieve lower emissions in Cornwall and the wider South West:

• Exploring low carbon motivations and barriers among South-West's construction industry
• Meeting net zero targets while benefitting soil health, biodiversity, and agriculture
• Exploring possibilities for UK wetsuit recycling

Telling the story of farming, climate, and nature in Cornwall 

With climate change disrupting food supplies and extreme weather hitting UK harvests, farmers are facing mounting financial pressures. A guest blog on the Farm Carbon Toolkit website explores the many ways in which farmers are changing their practices to become more resilient. Read more

Cornwall Life Recycle supports active travel

Cornwall Life Recycle not only run a bike repair shop in Camborne - they run projects that give new and old cyclists the confidence to ride, equip people with the skills needed to fix their bikes, and provide alternative provision for young people who need extra support. Read more

Film Project Call Out: We are Cornwall's Communities 

The Cornwall Lived Experience Partnership and Screen Cornwall are looking for videos, audio recordings and photographs about your experience living in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly for their new film project.

Stories about climate change and its impact on the region are important, as rising sea levels, coastal erosion, and extreme weather events shape daily life and the future of local communities. Your lived experiences can help highlight the challenges and resilience of Cornwall in the face of a changing climate. Read more

The Shape of Things: Our place in a changing climate

This exhibition will be on display at Penlee House Gallery and Museum, Penzance, from 5 February until 26 April 2025. This community-curated exhibition explores the effects of climate change in Cornwall, drawing on historic artworks and photographs from the collections at Penlee House. Read more