The move comes after a £3.5m pilot, launched by the trust with Good Energy in 2013, which saw five schemes installed, including a biomass boiler at Ickworth in Suffolk.
The new investment, which is claimed to be the largest the trust has ever made in renewables, intends to help it meet targets of lowering energy use by 20% and source half its power from renewables on its land by 2020.
It is expected to save up to £4m on the trust’s energy costs per year. Electricity generated from some of the projects can be sold back to the grid to provide an income which, along with savings, can be utilized to increase conservation work.
The trust is investing in over 40 projects which include a 250kW hydro scheme at Hayeswater in Cumbria; two biomass boilers at Upton House in Warwickshire; a 200kW lake source heating project at Blickling Estate in Norfolk.
National Trust rural enterprises director Patrick Begg said: "Many of the properties in our care are energy intensive and in remote areas without access to mains gas.
"Installing renewable technology in these places is a huge challenge, but we’ve learnt a great deal and will continue to do so."
Image: Ickworth’s biomass boiler, one of the National Trust’s renewable energy projects. Photo: courtesy of Ray Dale/National Trust.
