Extracts from NATTA's journal
Renew, issue 147 Jan-Feb 2004

11. Clear Skies:  More local projects

A prison laundry and a youth hostel are among the 40 new projects across England and Wales that have won funding to produce cleaner and greener power under the Clear Skies programme.

Projects including small scale wind turbines, solar water heating, micro hydro-electric and wood fuel heating systems will receive a total of nearly £900,000.  This is the second round of funding announced under the £10m  programme, which was launched in January last year to help householders and small community projects set up renewables. So far the programme has helped 60 projects with more than £1.4m. 

• Energy Minister Stephen Timms said: ‘Changing the way we use and think about energy starts at grassroots level- in our homes and communities. These renewable energy projects are an outstanding example of how this technology is beginning to transform communities across England and Wales. Each project brings us a step closer to reaching our aim of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 60% by 2050.’    Successful projects in this round include:
• - a wind turbine for a youth hostel in the North Pennines;
• - solar thermal heating for a hospital hydrotherapy pool in East Sussex;
• - solar thermal heating for a prison laundry in Cardiff.

Details of all the projects will be in Renew 148.

Local Benefits from Scottish Wind

The Highland Council wants to guarantee some return to local people from the unprecedented level of interest in siting renewable energy schemes in the region, and, according to the Scotsman (19/9/03), has been seeking talks with Highlands and Islands Enterprise to launch a move to win improved financial benefits, amid claims that the Scottish Executive is leaving communities to be ‘pillaged by developers’.  At present, the standard rate for community benefit is £1,100/ MW/p.a. but the council is seeking up to five times more.  The Scotsman noted that, while developers cannot be forced to make payments as part of planning regulations, the council sees a huge opportunity for communities to cash in on firms exploiting the natural resources around them.

A report for the authority’s sustainable development select committee says talks with the Scottish Renewables Forum revealed that developers regard the council’s target as too high, while the executive is reluctant to introduce or endorse a going rate for community benefit.  John Rennilson, the council’s planning director told the Scotsman: ‘At the moment, the renewables industry is as close to a risk-free investment as you can get.  There should be a sharing of the benefit, because there is a considerable level of profitability and the communities hosting these wind farms are not getting a share.’

* Mohamed al-Fayed, the chairman of Harrods, is in talks with six potential developers to build a £50m wind farm on part of the 65,000 acres he owns in the Highlands. It could supply enough electricity for more than 50,000 homes. He has indicated he would like local people to get free electricity from the project.