Extracts from the Nov-Dec 2002 edition of Renew
These extracts only represent about 25% of it

3. Community Energy

The Countryside Agency’s new Community Renewables Initiative (see Renew 138) is leading to some interesting projects. For example, there’s a £100,000 three year pilot project in Shropshire, which has already supported the restoration of a water wheel on the River Teme, which was once used for generating power for cloth and steel factories, to provide 30kW of electricity for nearby Ludlow.

The scheme is among a series of ideas to encourage people to save energy and invest in greener power across Herefordshire and Shropshire, overseen by Marches Energy Agency, which is running the Community Renewables Initiative locally. The programme will include the use of a wind turbine at Ladygrove Primary School in Telford and the lighting of village halls in Herefordshire with solar energy. However, Richard Davies, of Marches Energy Agency, told the Birmingham Post that no amount of green energy resources would make a difference unless people became more energy efficient. ‘Currently we generate 2.8 per cent of electricity from renewables in the UK and consumption has gone up by 2.8 per cent in the last 18 months. So all of the schemes such as wind turbines, hydro power and solar energy are negated by 18 months of growth in electricity.’

He added ‘Herefordshire households alone could save £21m and Shropshire’s £30m p.a. by embracing basic energy efficiency measures. On average the return on investment of these schemes is over 25% and that's better than you will find in any bank.’

More from the Marches Energy Agency : www.mea.org.uk helpline number: 01743 246007

Support for Regional Renewables….

The DTI has allocated £1.7m in regional grants to help plan and promote all forms of renewable energy across Britain. The money, from a two year programme worth up to £2.5m, has been allocated to the regional Government Office network. Energy Minister Brian Wilson said: ‘We need better planning for renewables in all parts of the country in order to help us reach proposed regional targets. Achieving these targets will be crucial to meeting our national target of 10% of electricity from renewables sources by 2010.’

The funding is designed to back up the regional targets recently announced, and should allow local organisations to smooth the way to their attainment. Wilson commented "It was clear from the bids we received that it is important that this work starts from a regional base and that local needs are what matter. This is reflected in diversity of the local needs that were identified during the bidding process. We should not forget that renewables are still a relatively new concept in some parts of the country, so it is vital that we help to finance initiatives to increase knowledge and understanding, enable the sharing of best practice and to ensure that we are able to get the most effective deployment of renewables throughout Britain."

Successful bids included funding for:

• - Conferences and seminars for local planners
• - Pilot studies to review renewable resources and to identify and evaluate sites
• - Good practice guidance
• - Surveys to test attitudes to renewables
• - Engaging stakeholders in proposals to develop wind farms
• - Developing a strategic planning tool
• - Developing regional and local renewables targets
• - Producing information and guidance to support local planning

The Regional breakdown is as follows:

The funding will come from the £100m allocated last year by the Prime Minister for renewable energy. There are separate arrangements for Scotland.

…but the CLBA want more Biomass support

The Country Land and Business Association has called for more Government action to help rural enterprises develop renewables, and in particular projects using biomass fuels such as fast-growing poplar, willow and elephant grass, as well as crop residues and manure. This would, they say, also boost biodiversity and help generate new enterprises and jobs urgently needed to sustain a living, working countryside and a prosperous rural economy.

Frances Beatty, regional director of the CLBA, said: ‘Rural businesses- especially land-based enterprises- have most to lose from climate change, but they could also play a vital role in meeting this challenge’.

She said farmers could grow crops specifically to produce renewable transport fuels to reduce the dependency on imported fossil fuels. And using oilseed rape to make biodiesel, and wheat, sugar beet and potatoes to manufacture bioethanol, would create new markets and new income for hard-pressed farm businesses.

She added ‘While welcome, financial aid already granted will only stretch to a couple of biomass power stations. We believe the great potential to create a self-sustaining biomass power industry will only be realised if the Government’s renewables obligation is amended specifically to require that a part of the obligation is met by biomass generation.’

Renewable Kent

Dr Derek Taylor from Altechnica has produced a report identify the renewable energy potential for Kent for the county council. It explores the potential for utilising land based wind energy, offshore wind energy, active solar energy, building integrated photovoltaics, passive solar measures, wood fuels, biogas, liquid biofuels, ground coupled energy for heating and cooling provision, various novel tidal energy technologies, plus opportunities for renewable energy in new developments and in a variety of sector’s together with community, village and urban renewable energy project options.

It could be a model for other detailed local plans, and it certainly comes to more optimistic conclusions than the regional surveys done by ETSU. If offshore wind is included, Kent might, he says, obtain up to 70% of its electricity from renewables.