NEWSREVIEW
Community leaders call for energy overhaul
A COALITION of civil society leaders from UK organisations with over twelve million members have called for community energy to play a substantial role in meeting the country’s climate change targets. Leading figures from The Co- operative; the National Trust; The National Federation of Women’s Institutes; the Church of England and Campaign to Protect Rural England met Chris Huhne, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, to launch their joint ‘vision for community energy’, which supports dramatically scaling up the number of community owned renewable energy projects across the country, and to discuss how the Government can best assist.
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At the same time, local energy schemes will receive another boost today as The Co-operative launches its Community Energy Challenge, a competition which will result in six communities across the UK receiving support to set up their own energy
projects.The Co-operative is setting aside £1 million in 2012 to support community energy. This will involve everything from mentoring for start-ups through to the underwriting of co-perative
share offers in local co-operatives.
Paul Monaghan, Head of Social Goals at The Co-operative, said, “We want nothing less than a clean energy revolution, with communities controlling and benefiting from their own renewable energy. Talk of a new dash for gas shales, which could see up to 3,000 wells installed across the UK, highlights the choices we face – more and dirtier sources of fossil fuels or clean energy owned and controlled by communities.”
Patrick Begg, Director of Rural Enterprise at The National Trust, commented, “Many other European countries are way ahead of the UK, as we found out when visiting German communities last year. Germany produces over 20 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources, with communities generating about a quarter of this. In the UK, less than 1 per cent is generated by our communities, a figure this coalition wants to dramatically increase by 2020. Today we are asking the Government to support us in this.” Ruth Bond, Chair of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes added, “The WI has been active on renewable
Stow Rugby Club Invests £50k In Solar
ADAM HENSON popped in to Stow Rugby Club to help install solar PV panels on the rugby club roof. The 135 year old club is bringing itself bang up to date by investing £50 000 in solar PV to reduce the clubs energy bills, reduce the club’s carbon footprint and secure its energy supply for the future. The investment, with the consent of the Club’s committee, will ensure the Club house operates efficiently and sustainably. Helping Adam out were two members of the successful U-10 team in full kit. Adam’s son Alfie and fourth generation Stow member Jack Harrison.
Said Adam, “I’m Stow born and bred and the rugby club featured strongly in my youth. Now that the likes of Alfie and Jack are coming up through the rugby club, its great to know that’s its future is being secured through great, sustainable initiatives like this.”
The installation is being overseen by local solar PV specialist MyPower. Ben Harrison, (Jack’s Dad) who heads up MyPower said: “Installing solar PV still offers a fantastic return on investment as solar costs have reduced significantly to counter-balance the planned reduction in government feed in tariffs.
Solar PV is a great option for sports and similar clubs, business and organisations as well as domestic premises as it’s such a green, long-term option. Stow Rugby Club is the first in the area to take up this initiative and, like its players on the pitch, is leading the field.”
Dave Oughton, U-17 Coach and Stow Ruby Club Committee member added: “Adam is a great supporter of the club - it’s because people like Adam and Ben care so much about the club that we can be so forward thinking. This is a major project for the club but one which will reap returns for us for many years and help secure our future. Things are looking good for the club with some outstanding results already this season – like the U-10’s beating Bath U-10’s by 20 points to 15 in an away game at Bath recently!”
energy since the 1970s. We see community energy as people working together, not having schemes imposed on them. This is a great opportunity for our 7,000 WIs across the UK to tackle climate change and leave a legacy for the next generation.”
David Shreeve, the Church of England’s national environment adviser said, “The Church of England has a presence in every community with 16,000 churches nationwide. We fully support community energy projects as a way of working together to provide a clean, secure energy supply and to help heat and electricity become sustainable for all.”
www.solar-pv-uk.com Issue I 2012
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