Community Energy Schemes

1. Community Energy Projects
• A Cinderella concept
• Or
• Vital part of our future
• You can decide

2. Community Energy Projects
History & future of electricity
Peak oil & fossil fuel stations
World power demand
Community projects
Case studies

3. Community Energy Projects
• The history of electricity generation
• And how it will turn
• From community station
• Through large centralised fossil fuel station
• Back to community/ individual generation

4. Community Energy Projects
5 KW output
Reliability poor
Very expensive
One hours light bulb
cost a weeks wage
Brighton Power Station in about 1885
Coal / wood fired steam engine “State of the art”

5. Community Energy Projects
What Happened from the 1850s ?
• Coal was mined in Britain
• Oil was discovered in Pennsylvania
• Cheap fossil fuels drove energy demand
• Technical innovation allowed power stations
to develop in size

6. Community Energy Projects
600 MW output
Gas fired
High reliability
One hours
lighting now
costs
1/40,000
weekly wage
Shoreham power station near Brighton
CCGT combined cycle gas turbine “state of the art”

7. Community energy Projects
Electrical generation by fuel
45% from gas
28 % from coal
18% from nuclear
7% from Renewables
Source DECC website

8. Community energy projects

9. Community Energy Projects
• How will things change in the future?
• Government target is an 80%
• Reduction in emissions by 2050
• Heavy transport will struggle to reduce
•
• Electricity needs to so more than 80%

10. Community Energy Projects
• The ERA of cheap fossil fuel is nearly over
• Fossil fuel Power stations are obsolete
• Renewable power stations are
• Smaller and more numerous
• We will circle back to community sized power stations
• A community plant should be owned by the
community for the community

11. Community Energy Projects
Wind for bulk generation PV for daytime peak load
AD for intermittency
Electricity will power almost everything
Cars, home heating etc
Fossil fuels will be too scarce to burn
Electrical storage needs to be developed
Brighton Power Station
“State of the art” @2020

12. Community Energy Projects
This mix is a moving target, and depends on many variables:
Technical innovation, Fossil fuel costs, Storage solutions, Public Attitudes
Fossil fuel will be with us for some time due to its versatility
Home / community will be a mix of PV, Wind, A D & Home fuel cell etc

13. Community Energy Projects
• Peak oil & fossil fuel stations

14. Community Energy Projects
The 1950’s were peak years for US oil Exploration
BUT US Geologist Hubbert in 1950 suggested
US Oil production would peak and decline
He was ridiculed
US Oil production started to decline 40 years later
47 years since the peak of WORLD discoveries
HAS WORLD OIL PRODUCTION PEAKED?

15. Community Energy Projects

16. Community Energy Projects
• Future energy demand
• Kalahari bushmen use 2,000 kcal per day
• Subsistence farmers use 12,000 kcal per day
• Technological society use 230,000 kcal per day
• All the underdeveloped countries in the world
envy and want to match our living standards
• World power demand in infinite

17. Community Energy Projects
increasing population will demand more energy

18. Community Energy Projects
• Rising population
• Increasing demand per person
• Cheap oil used up
• Renewables are a sound investment
• Communities can be self sufficient
• Communities can be more resilient

19. Community Energy Projects
• Renewable stations will be smaller and
more numerous than fossil plants
• The large companies cant run small plants efficiently
• Community groups with low overheads can
• The benefits can accrue to the community
• Makes our communities more resilient

20. Community owned microhydro
• Community owned microhydro
• 30KW hydro 200 MWh annually
• 1 Km pipeline 25 m head at 200 l/s
• All funding from grants
• Project cost about £300,000
TAP
• Annual income £20,000 Tintern Angiddy Project
• Very low visual impact long life of project

21. Gwent Levels Community wind farm
• CIC owned medium wind farm
• 2 turbines 2MW each
• Generate a total of 14 GWh annually
• Gross income of £1.4M
• Cost £4 million funded by share issue
• Very high environmental hurdles
• £200,000 for planning requirements
• Benefits from the scheme include
• Income for local investors loans or dividends
• Improved Flood defence 7,000 homes
• Support for local causes village halls
• 30 jobs created locally more indirectly

22. Community Energy Projects
Photovoltaic for a village hall
• South facing pitched roof
• Not significantly over shaded
• 22 panels generates 4.0 MWh
• Benefit of about £2,000 annually index linked
• Needs about 40 m2 of roof area
• Cost about £12,000
• Sizable grant and or low cost loan needed
• Community members might want to loan money

23. Community Energy Projects
a successful project
• Have a reason that the community supports
• A small group with a legal structure to steer the project
• Newsletter to keep the community informed
• Keep a record of hours for matching fund grants
• Keep a record of income and expenses
• Keep minutes of meetings where decisions are made
• Website is a good way to inform / impress people

24. Monmouthshire village hall photovoltaic's
After decades of shop, school and pub closures
Village halls are often the only
community building left in villages
Without a community meeting place
villages become mere dormitories
Where few knows or cares about neighbours.
Our halls are vital to the community

25. Monmouthshire village hall photovoltaic's
• Impending funding cuts imperil these vital village buildings
• The feed in tariff gives a unique opportunity for village halls
and community to gain the following benefits
• An index linked long term income stream
• Fund hall maintenance and running costs
• Foster closer community links
• Encourage through example carbon reduction emissions.
• Adds resilience to our villages
• Gives out village halls respect and status

26. Monmouthshire village hall photovoltaic's
Example 9.5 KW system
Generates @ 8000 KWh
Annual output
1st year benefit @ £3,200
25 year total benefit @£100K
Cost £32,000
1st year Return 10%
Index linked for 25 years

27. Monmouthshire village hall photovoltaic's
• Photovoltaic panels have benefits over other
renewable energy such as wind or water
• Reliable and dependable technology
• Numerous competitive suppliers
• Lower planning hurdles
• Lower initial costs
• Low maintenance and administration costs
• Perfect income source for village halls

28. Monmouthshire village hall photovoltaic's
• Financing is the biggest hurdle
• People who use the hall might help with a loan.
• The FIT income allows you to pay interest say 3%
service a loan and give a useful amount to the hall
• How much do they cost depends on the size
• A 4 KW installation costs £13 to £14,000
• A 10 KW installation costs about £33,000.
•

29. Monmouthshire village hall photovoltaic's
• This is not always possible or desirable for village hall
committees to take on the administration responsibility
• There are 2 alternative solutions to this
• Gwent Energy CIC is a community interest company that will
take on this responsibility on for you
• Robert Owen Community Banking Fund Ltd., will do this
admin for you They are a not for profit lender linked to the
Wales credit union network

30. Monmouthshire village hall photovoltaic's
• We suggest the following timetable
• Call Phil on 07506004581 to come and have a look at discuss the options
• An installer Beverley Thomas (07817367590) will come and do a survey
and give you the details of what is possible and how much it will cost
• Decide on the options for managing and financing the system
• Apply for planning permission and to western power for grid connection
• Raise the money and order the system
• if you have a high proportion in loans, aim for a spring installation
• Register for FITs as soon as possible after installation

31. Monmouthshire village hall photovoltaic's
• For more information call these
• Richard Lewis on 01873736031 richard@adventa.org.uk
• Phil Powell on 01291 629936 (07506004581) ppo98@aol.com
• Gwent energy can help you organise it
• For a survey, price and detailed technical information
• Beverley Thomas 07817367590 bthomas@solar-senseuk.com
•
• AND GIVE OUR VILLAGES A CHANCE