Glasgow City Council has said it could turn vacant sites in the city into mini solar farms.

In a statement, the local authority has revealed that Future City / Glasgow is showing how technology can be used to make life in the city smarter and more sustainable. The £24m programme is currently conducting a mapping exercise in partnership with Strathclyde University.

Some 400 council-owned sites, totalling almost 550 hectares, are being assessed for their technical and policy constraints, which include considerations like access to the National Grid, proximity to housing, whether parts of the site are shaded, if the area is zoned for a specific use or if there are any existing planning applications. Brownfield gap sites will also be assessed for power generation suitability.

The survey will be carried out remotely using (GIS) mapping technology.

It is understood some of the sites could have been earmarked to be sold by the council but since the economic downturn, sales and development has declined. Elsewhere, other sites would require expensive remediation to be built on, but could be suitable for the installation of ground mounted photo voltaic panels.

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The project is part of Glasgow City Council's wider ambitions to become one of the most sustainable cities in Europe within the next 20 years and to cut carbon emissions.

Councillor Alastair Watson, Glasgow City Council's Executive Member for Sustainability, said: "Glasgow is already a hub for renewables engineering and innovation. Hundreds of people are employed in the sector in the city and the work of Sustainable Glasgow and Future City | Glasgow is opening up even more opportunities for green energy initiatives.

"We aim to become one of the most sustainable and resilient cities in Europe and are exploring the potential of a range of technologies which will help us cut emissions and secure energy supplies.

"This project aims to identify opportunities for communities, the council and companies to bring derelict gap sites back into use as productive solar farms generating electricity.

"Glasgow may not be the sunniest city in the world but there are already hundreds of solar arrays on buildings around the city which can harness diffused sunlight to generate electricity even when it's cloudy."

Professor Joe Clarke, who leads Strathclyde University's input into the mapping exercise, added: "We applaud the council's foresight in providing open information on urban renewable energy potentials across the city as a means to foster a partnership approach to the development of low carbon energy supply solutions at the community scale."

(JP)