Community Energy

Feb 22

Here are some facts about the Community Energy discussion that is just beginning in Batheaston and St Catherine,

You may have heard a buzz about community energy/solar panels/wind turbines in the village recently. Here are some facts about what is happening.

What is Community Energy?

Community energy is an integral part of our transition away from fossil fuels.

It is renewable energy generation, for example from a ground mounted array of solar panels or wind turbines, It is owned by a community – perhaps a village or a group of neighbours. The profits earned from the energy production are kept local and can be reinvested in the community.

Is it happening here in Batheaston and St Catherine?

No.

What is happening here is a discussion. Residents are being asked how they feel about the possibility of having a method of clean energy generation in this area. It will take some months to have conversations and get responses from as many residents as possible. There are two main questions to answer: do residents support the idea or not? if they do, can any acceptable pocket of land be identified?

Who is running the discussion?

The Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE). They are following a process for engaging with residents about community energy that they designed and have used elsewhere.

CSE is a charity working in three areas – home energy, helping people make their home warmer and save on energy bills; community energy, including helping communities consider and implement their own energy generation projects; and research and consultancy. CSE staff and volunteers have visited Batheaston many times to advise and help residents with their energy use at home.

Bath and West Community Energy (BWCE) is providing support to answer any technical questions about community energy and what needs to be considered.

BWCE is a local, not for profit community business. They build clean energy installations, advise on energy efficiency in people’s homes and provide support to community energy projects. You may have come across their work helping with Open Green Homes in recent years.

Why is this happening now?

Funding is available from the National Lottery Climate Fund to engage with communities and start these conversations.

Who is supporting it?

BANES Council because this model of community ownership gives communities the chance to have a stake in renewable energy projects and helps to build community resilience by generating local energy for local people.

Batheaston Parish Council and St Catherine Parish Council.

Grow Batheaston because Community Energy in appropriate locations would be a step towards a safer, more stable, less polluted future for people and for wildlife.

How will it work?

In order to provide a basis for discussion, areas that would be technically suitable for solar panels or wind turbines, i.e. that fulfil basic requirements such as orientation and size, have been identified. (A solar farm the size of a football pitch produces 0.67 MW, enough energy to power 51 homes.)

A group of residents were asked at a workshop to consider how they feel about those areas and mark those they feel are special and those they feel are not special.

Over the next several weeks residents will be asked to complete a survey asking the same questions. The survey will be available online at

www.bathnes.gov.uk/community-energy-project-batheaston-and-st-catherine

The project team will also come to many events in the village to answer questions and collect responses.

What will happen next?

This will depend on the results of the survey.

If there is not much interest in Community Energy, nothing more will happen.

If there is interest, a new project will be formed to examine with residents the nitty gritty of what might be feasible in this area.

If there is no feasible outcome at the end of that examination, nothing more will happen.

If there is a feasible outcome, a decision will be taken how to move forward.

How could it be taken forward?

That would be decided by residents.

For example residents could set up a local management team who would raise the finance, build and run the installation.

Or BWCE could fund and build on behalf of residents. They raise funds through a share issue or bond. Minimum investment £100. Maximum £100,000. Maximum annual return is capped usually at about 5-6%. Excess income after interest payments and rent to landowner is returned to the community.

Community Energy

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