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Tag Archives: Community Initiatives
The Power Book
October 2012: Labour’s Shadow Energy and Climate team have established a website setting out some of their activities and key messages. One of the first things posted at www.shadowdecc.org.uk is a new publication called ‘The Power Book’, produced with support of the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU), the Labour environment campaign SERA and the Co-operative Party.
The book consists of a series of papers on initiatives being taken forward to develop community-led energy projects, ranging from the role that local authorities and community groups are playing, to the technologies such as microgeneration and district heating, that are being used. The foreword to the book by Shadow Energy Secretary of State Caroline Flint states that “we cannot neglect the potential for individuals and communities to create and save energy. In truth there are plenty of examples both here and abroad which demonstrate the potential of community energy as a low carbon driver…There is also a window of opportunity to increase community-level energy generation instead of creating a rigid framework to fit the old, centralised system.” Download the report here.
‘Put green energy into local hands’
12 October 2012: Good letter in today’s Financial Times:
“Sir, Your report about how numerous German towns, cities and regions are leading the country’s Energiewende away from nuclear power towards renewables and energy efficiency makes for fascinating reading (“Market reforms move power to the people”, Analysis, October 10). This is what the UK government’s “green deal” and “green investment bank” should be all about – giving local authorities the resources to promote community renewable energy schemes, energy efficiency and microgeneration projects; and this may possibly allow for any profits to be reinvested into local services stretched to the limit in the current recession.
If cities such as Munich, Cologne and Hamburg can lead the way with such policies, why not Manchester, Glasgow and Cardiff or Fife, Caerphilly and the Shetland Islands? Local councils have a much greater appreciation of local energy needs and the energy-saving measures that can help reduce fuel poverty than Whitehall mandarins. I know there is a great appetite in local government for moving from an overly centralised energy market towards satisfying decentralised community energy needs.
If this policy was energetically pursued then I believe there would be no need to worry about the lights going out in 2015, and the billions of pounds of public money planned for new nuclear or shale fracking investment could rather be diverted to a clean, jobs-rich and sustainable energy alternative.
Brian Goodall, Chair, UK and Ireland Nuclear Free Local Authorities, c/o NFLA Secretariat, Manchester, UK”
Sutton Zero Carbon Resources
June 2012: The results of a project undertaken to help define a zero carbon retrofit strategy for buildings within the suburb of Hackbridge in the London Borough of Sutton has recently been published. The project was undertaken by BioRegional, with funding from the Sainsbury’s Family Charitable Trusts’ Climate Change Collaboration and the three key outputs – the authors say – have been “designed to be replicable in other areas.We hope that you will find them useful for your own projects.”
The area based strategy for zero carbon buildings report seeks to determine:
- How many and what type of buildings would need to be retrofitted.
- What different approaches could be taken to retrofitting, e.g. energy efficiency, building integrated renewable energy technologies or district heating.
- What would be the cost and delivery plan for the preferred approach, which may encompass a range of technologies.
- To develop an approach for formulating a zero carbon strategy for an area that other organisations, such as Local Authorities, Housing Associations and community groups could adopt.
The Retrofitting District Heating Systems study interestingly found that “district heating (using a variety of heat sources) achieved considerably more carbon emission savings than the full traditional retrofit option (whereby a building’s energy efficiency is improved by improving the building fabric and installing energy efficient or renewable sources of heat and electricity in the building itself) and at a lower cost.” A heat map for Hackbridge has also been produced.
And finally, an Energy retrofit tool for buildings spreadsheet tool which allows users to “input information about the domestic building stock in your area and the tool will then help decide on the best approach to retrofitting it using an area-wide approach.”
Posted in Library, News
Tagged Community Heating, Community Initiatives, Decentralised Energy, Heat Maps, Retrofit, Sutton
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External Insulation for London Semis
June 2012: South Kenton and Preston Park Residents Association (SKPPRA) recently obtained a grant from the Local Energy Assessment Fund (LEAF) to externally insulate a pair of semi-detached houses on the estate to show residents how this will make the houses warmer and easier to heat. Under the ‘warmhouse’ project two houses in Wembley were clad in external wall insulation and a series of detailed reports of the project have been published and are available to download from the ‘warmhouse’ website, which will provide some valuable learning for the roll out of the Green Deal in London.
Some points of interest:
- Detailed photographic records of the retrofit are posted in the first document, setting out the level of work undertaken to externally insulate these two homes.
- The second report provides a useful ‘scope of works’ document, which sets out the requirements of the insulation project to the contractor – a helpful template to any other similar project being considered.
- The fourth report highlights that, via a survey of local residents applying for to have their homes insulated, annual gas bills are shown to range from just over £400 to just under £1400 (presumably down to occupation levels rather than energy efficiency levels of the various homes?) with the majority of gas bills between £850 to £1100.
- The average annual gas consumption across residents submitting information is 21,500kWh of gas (hot water and space heating)
- Actual energy consumption modelling over the year hasn’t been undertaken(the project timeline most didn’t allow for this) and page 33 of this fourth report sets out a modelled indicative spread of space heating (only) consumption over the year
- Page 34 of the report then provides an indicative idea of how space heating consumption will be reduced as a result of the using external insulating walls, suggesting a >50% reduction in energy use in the home
- However, the FAQs set out however that “Utility bills and monthly gas readings will be required after the work is done so that the effect of the insulation on your energy consumption is recorded. As part of the preparation work a forecast will be made of the effect of the insulation on your heating energy consumption and the monthly gas readings will help to assess the accuracy of the forecast computer model.”
- Unfortunately, the project will not undertake a full fabric approach, the FAQs saying “No your windows will not be replaced – the grant is for the external insulation only”, but it’s possible the homes were already double-glazed…? However, it’s not immediately clear if this is the case with the two homes insulated
- Both external (and internal) wall insulation – and also replacement glazing (see Annex 1 of the Government’s recent response to the Green Deal and ECO consultation on the full list of qualifying measures) – will be subsidised under the forthcoming £1.3 bn a year Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme, which starts in October 2012
- It will be interesting to see how the houses perform in their new insulated state, and hence post-occupancy evaluation reports from the project will be of great value.
Posted in Library, News
Tagged Brent, Community Initiatives, Green Deal, insulation, Solid Wall Insulation, Wembley
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New Government Community Energy Strategy
22 June 2012: Energy Minister Greg Barker tweeted (copied below) from the ‘LEAF Experience Event’ held yesterday in London that DECC is to develop a new Community Energy Strategy, which is to be launched within months.
Further information on the Local Energy Assessment Fund (LEAF) on the LEAF EST pages, and DECC’s Community Energy Portal. Details of London LEAF projects on an earlier post.
Unlocking local leadership on climate change
19 June 2012: The Green Alliance held an event in the House of Commons yesterday launching a new pamphlet, published as part of their Climate Leadership Programme, bringing together the perspectives of three Coalition MPs: Damian Hinds, MP for East Hampshire; Martin Vickers, MP for Cleethorpes; and Julian Huppert, MP for Cambridge. In it they give their views on how government can link two crucial aims: tackling climate change and empowering local areas. Further information and pamphlet here.
A number of examples of community-led organisations to tackle climate change were discussed at the event, including the Greening Campaign which provides some useful online resource material in helping groups engage with their local communities on climate change and sustainability issues.
Mayor to encourage community energy projects
June 2012: The Mayor has published revised ‘early minor alterations to the London Plan’ aimed at ensuring that the London Plan is fully consistent with the Government’s National Planning Policy Framework (published March 2012).
Page 30 of the ‘Early Minor Alterations’ document sets out a proposed revision to Chapter 5 of the London Plan – which addresses planning and climate change – to support community-led initiatives renewable and low carbon projects through neighbourhood planning. The exact amended text (in bold) follows below:
5.41 The Mayor’s supplementary planning guidance will set out broad guidelines to assist boroughs and, where appropriate,neighbourhoods, to define locations where stand-alone renewable energy schemes would be appropriate. The increased use of renewable heat will also significantly depend on the growth of heat networks. The Mayor and Boroughs will also encourage community-led initiatives for renewables and low carbon energy and examine how they can be supported through neighbourhood planning.” [page 30]
The supplementary planning guidance referred to is on renewable energy (which is also referred to in para 5.40 of Chapter 5 – see link above) and has, as yet, not been published by the Mayor. A major renewable energy study for London has however been completed and was issued in January 2012.
Further information to the background on new neighbourhood plans can be viewed here.
Posted in Library, News
Tagged Community Initiatives, Mayor, Planning, Renewable Energy
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Community Energy: Taking stock, moving forwards?
March 2012:The CISE (Community Innovation for Sustainable Energy) project hosted an event to assess the impact of recent policy developments on the community energy sector at at UEA London on March 8th 2012. Chaired by Professor Yvonne Rydin (Director of the UCL Environment Institute), a panel of 5 community energy experts were asked to reflect on the following questions:
- How have recent developments in national energy policy affected community energy initiatives?
- Have responses to these policy proposals galvanised and/or unsettled the community energy sector?
- What should be the key priorities looking ahead; who needs to be involved, and how?
A report of the seminar is available on the Low Carbon Communities Network here.
Ham Hydro Update
March 2012: A quick update on the community-led Ham Hydro renewable energy project which has been mentioned in some earlier posts – the hydropower scheme involves the installation of “3 Archimedean screw turbines on Teddington Weir to generate approximately 1,900 MWh per annum – enough to power 600 homes”. A formal planning application to Richmond Council was submitted a few months ago, and the full documentation of the scheme’s submission can be viewed on Richmond Council’s planning website here.
Energy in the Locality: A day-conference to explore local energy case studies in urban and rural locations
March 2012: The Challenging Lock-in through Urban Energy Systems (CLUES) project looks to “critically assess the development of decentralised energy systems in urban areas in the light of national decarbonisation and urban sustainability goals. Based upon national and international reviews, it examines the range and types of urban energy systems that are and might be installed. It further considers the issues raised by the need for such initiatives to integrate with energy systems at urban level in the UK, regional and national scales in order to deliver energy and carbon reductions to 2050 effectively.”
A conference: Energy in the Locality is being organised as part of the CLUES Project (www.ucl.ac.uk/clues) and aims to provide “an opportunity to hear results from local case studies on different aspects of energy systems, and to reflect on the theoretical and methodological implications of using case studies to understand such systems.” The event will be held on Tuesday, 8 May 2012 from 10:00 to 18:00 at University College London. Further information here.
IEA: Now is the time for global deployment of smart communities
March 2012: Even the International Energy Agency (IEA) is now highlighting the potential of localised, decentralised energy systems, with the Deputy Executive Director recently stating that “Smart communities – cities, towns, neighbourhoods and villages that reduce their energy demand and generate their own power from renewable sources – should play an increasingly important role across the world…A smart community is a very low energy demand community that integrates several energy supply systems – such as wind, solar and other renewable energy sources. Smart communities effectively reduce energy demand by implementing energy efficiency and energy sufficiency measures. Primary energy demand for a building in a smart community is around a third of the energy demand in the average US household and almost a half of the energy demand in the average household in the European Union.”
LEAF Projects Funding Details
March 2012: Table provided by DECC showing a) Phase One and b) Phase Two projects receiving funding from the Local Energy Assessment Fund (LEAF) including region and funding granted. Details of 11 London projects provided – which are:
- Arcola Theatre Production Company – Dalston Energy Angels
- Camden and Westminster Refugee Training Partnership (C&WRTP)
- Glyndon Community Group
- Hackney Co-operative Developments CIC
- Hyde Farm Climate Action Network
- Hyde Martlet Housing Association
- Local Space Housing (LSH)
- Poplar
- Shrinking the Footprint Campaign (Church of England)
- St. John on Bethnal Green, LB Tower Hamlets
- The London Borough of Tower Hamlets
See an earlier post for fuller details of London LEAF winners.