Published: 03 April 2006
Community Renewables Initiative
The DTI, Defra, the Countryside Agency and the Forestry Commission have announced over £400,000 of additional funding for the Community Renewables Initiative (CRI), which provides expert advice and support to local people on installing renewable energy systems, such as solar panels on village halls and biomass heating for their schools.
Since its launch in 2002 the CRI has helped communities to 'do their bit' in tackling climate change and, to date:
· 91 community renewable energy projects have been completed
· 294 projects are nearing completion and
· there have been over 2,600 inquiries
Projects are delivered at a local and regional level by a network of ten Local Support Teams covering over 70% of England.
Renewable energy schemes include:
· wind power
· solar PV and hot water
· ground source heat pumps, and
· biomass for electricity and heat generation schemes
Tony Hams, Countryside Agency board member and Chair of the CRI national advisory group said:
"Local communities have a vital role to play in tackling climate change.
This has been demonstrated by The Community Renewables Initiative, which is helping communities to switch to renewable sources of heat, and power, and encouraging clean and efficient ways of providing energy for their homes, schools and businesses.
It also empowers people to work together, creating a sense of unity and pride within communities- using renewable energy as a focus."
Andy Mason, Forestry Commission, said:
"Clearly the renewable energy agenda is a huge part of the work which the CRI partners are engaged in, but the beauty of this scheme, is that it engages people locally and in a very real way, making the renewable energy debate relevant to our communities and our everyday lives."
Examples of CRI projects include:
Shortenills Environmental Education Centre in Buckinghamshire is an eco-education centre, promoting the benefits of renewable energy to primary school children, showing how renewable energy schemes can reduce their effects on the environment.
With the help of the CRI local support team TV Energy, Shortenills has replaced its old oil-fired boiler with a 80kWth woodchip-fired boiler, adding to its existing energy saving devices, including solar sun tubes, a solar photovoltaic array and automatic timer switches for lights.
These combined with Buckinghamshire County Council's green energy purchasing policy, make the centre the county's first 100% renewable energy powered building.
The CRI was instrumental in delivering this project by:
· providing project management services
· recruiting suitable contractors
· securing funds, and
· co-ordinating the installation and local wood fuel supply
The wood-fuelled boiler will offset approximately 50 tonnes of CO2 per year using sustainable, locally-sourced woodchips, contributing to climate change targets. It will provide a further education facility for the children visiting the centre.
In its aims to become as sustainable as possible, Shortenills acts as an advocate of such technologies within the community, which creates employment, raises awareness of renewable energy and develops better links with other sectors of the community.
The Fawside Deneholme Community Centre in Northumberland was renovated, installing renewable energy technologies, using help from the CRI local support team REALL, in order to help secure local energy supplies and raise the profile of microgeneration schemes in community buildings.
The Fawside Foundation, a community charity tackling social & environmental issues in the Allen Valleys, bought & developed the building which is now used by many community members for a range of daily and residential activities.
The Fawside Deneholme Centre features a ground source heat pump, tapping the latent heat within the ground to heat water and supply the central heating system, and a large solar heating array.
The CRI local support team funded the feasibility study for these technologies and helped secure the funds that delivered the scheme on the ground.
With the solar heating array saving around 3320kWh per year alone, the project provides tangible community and environmental benefits.
The foundation plans to install further renewable technologies including hydroelectric power and solar PV panels when more funds become available.
Further information
Community Renewables Initiative
CRI East
Forestry Commission
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