We received this email yesterday from Mann Power Consulting Ltd. Reading the consultation document, it does appear that only Option 1 will not have a significant impact on the development of new hydro schemes in England. Please take a few minutes to go to https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/portal/ho/br/standards/hydro?pointId=2407558 and add your response. Hello, As you’ve previously spoken with us about hydropower, [...]
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The Community Renewables Economy: Starting up, scaling up and spinning out
This is a research project, organised by Respublica, that will explore the innovative business models, financial mechanisms and local partnerships that private developers, generators, suppliers, public services and business can establish to foster a far more decentralised model of energy provision. It will focus particularly on the opportunity for such businesses to devolve ownership and social [...]
Community Energy in Stroud
Transition Stroud and Stroud District Council held a meeting at Ebley Mill on Monday 18th March to promote community-based renewable energy schemes. It involved several groups including Gloucestershire Community Energy, Ecodynamic Community Benefit Society and Resilient Energy. Stroud District Council will be going ahead with financing a number of their own renewable energy schemes but [...]
Renewable Energy Co-operatives: power to the people
An article by Clare Taylor on the Energy Collective blog mentions the Middelgrunden co-op in Denmark which has grown from owning a single wind turbine in the 1970′s to owning the biggest offshore wind farm in the world today as an example of what is possible. Dirk Vansantjan, founding director of Belgian co-operative Ecopower, who I met [...]
Community energy: our village’s fight for a hydropower scheme
If community energy schemes are part of the government’s energy masterplan, why are there so many planning obstacles? Alison Cahn shares her frustrations with the current system Politicians of all hues love talking about community, urging people to get involved in planning, building and providing services for people in their area. But do they really know the [...]
Labour promote community energy in London
Article from London Labour Group. As the Conservative Mayor of London presents his budget that fails to meet the needs of ordinary Londoners, Murad Qureshi AM outlines Labour’s alternative plan to invest in community energy and address fuel poverty. As more people struggle to heat their homes whilst the energy companies continue to increase their profits, [...]
When the view outweighs common sense
Yes the small sleepy town of Totnes in South Devon is again in the latest, the hottest front line of cultural dissonance, this time over wind turbines. The Totnes Renewable Energy Society (TRESOC) is seeking planning permission to erect two 2.3 megawatt wind turbines in the best location for wind energy generation in South Devon, itself one [...]
Is the Community Energy Strategy being kicked into the ‘long grass”?
Article from the Energy for London blog. In a response given yesterday to a Parliamentary Question asking what the Government’s “policy is on support for localised renewable energy projects”, Energy Minister Greg Barker replied: “DECC is currently scoping a Community Energy Strategy and will publish a call for evidence in the spring.” DECC Ministers have [...]
Gen Community install their first solar panels
Gen Community’s first solar PV installations on households in fuel poverty took place in Newport, South Wales on 31 January 2013. Generation Community (Gen Community), was founded to develop low carbon energy projects, and is inviting people to become members the Society by investing between £500 and £20,000 into the share offer. Gen Community’s launched [...]
