News
Guide to the Co-operative Renewable Energy Sector
Fri, 6 January 2012The first co operatively-owned wind turbines, Baywind in Cumbria, started turning in 1997. Since then, over 7,000 individual investors have ploughed over £16 million into community-owned renewable energy.
A new report summarises insights gained from visits to five co-operatively owned energy projects during the summer of 2011. It will be of interest to anyone thinking of starting a community or co-operative energy initiative as well as intermediaries such as business and energy advisers, policy and decision makers with an interest in renewable energy and community ownership, and members of existing energy co-operatives.
Plans for Dealing with Impacts of Climate Change Published
Fri, 6 January 2012Defra has published plans to protect the UK’s power supply from the impacts of climate change. Flooding of sub stations, difficulties in keeping power stations cool in hotter summers and damage to overhead wires and underground cables in periods of drought were amongst the key threats that energy firms found climate change could pose to their business.
The reports show that the energy sector has made progress in planning for these risks, but that more work will be required over the coming years to protect infrastructure assets and ensure new projects are designed to cope with conditions that will be very different to what they are today.
The reports will help Government assess the UK’s readiness for climate change and the actions needed to adapt. Later this month Defra will publish the Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA), a world-leading report that will give the UK the most comprehensive overview of any nation of the challenges climate change will present.
Renewable Energy Could Create Almost 12,000 Jobs
Fri, 6 January 2012The government has revealed that, so far this financial year, companies have announcement plans for almost £2.5billion worth of investment in renewable energy projects in the UK, with the potential to create almost 12,000 jobs across the country.
The report also shows that in 2010 3.3% of energy consumed was generate by renewable sources, an increase on 2008 of 46%. The UK has agreed to an EU target of 15% by 2020.
New Funding Database
Fri, 6 January 2012The Energy Saving Trust’s website has a new guide to funding and a searchable funding database. They report that: ‘Initial feedback on both the guide and the database has been very positive. The guide and database include information on sources of funding for both energy efficiency and renewable energy measures, on council buildings, social housing, or other decentralised energy projects. We hope that you will find them useful in exploring opportunities for your authority to fund carbon reduction projects.’
The guide and database have been funded by organisations based in the West Midlands, but can be searched by region, with plenty of results currently available for the East Midlands.
Low Carbon Community Network Conference
Fri, 6 January 201214th January, 9am start.
King’s Conference Centre, Oxford
Free. Please pre-book: www.lowcarboncommunities.net
Financial assistance for travel costs available for those who need support
This conference will focus on how we can develop strong local coalitions or groupings that link community level action to councils, to emerging community energy groups and social enterprises, to academics and to large and small private sector bodies active in the area. We’ve got a developing list of great speakers and workshops and we’re still open to ideas.