Community Energy in the UK
Description
'Today is the inaugural meeting of a new group of civil society champions who have been brought together by The Co-operative and its partners Forum for the Future and Carbon Leapfrog to act as renewable energy ambassadors. Late last year the group, which includes leading figures from the National Federation of Women’s Institutes, Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), The Church of England and the National Trust, visited Germany to see for themselves examples of successful community renewable schemes. Today, they are meeting Chris Huhne, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change to launch their vision for community energy. You can see the full vision and commitment here.
Representing millions, these organisations are seeking to unlock the potential for community renewable energy in the UK. They see the benefits - and the dilemma. Either we carry on scraping the barrel, seeking out evermore difficult-to-reach sources of oil and gas. Or, we embrace a new energy future, harnessing the UK’s vast natural resources of wind, water and solar power.
Simultaneously, The Co-operative Group launches its Community Energy Challenge, which will offer half a dozen communities support to develop renewable energy schemes that involve and benefit local people, change the way we think about energy, and inspire others to take action. Together these initiatives can play an important role in taking community energy mainstream.
There's no doubt about that doing community energy in the UK at the moment is hard work. But it brings rewards for those who put in the effort. Co-operatives UK recently produced a briefing on the state of play in the UK. Co-operatively owned energy generation is a vibrant and growing sector. The first co-operatively owned wind turbines, at Baywind in Cumbria, started turning in 1997. Since then, over 7,000 individual investors have ploughed over £16 million into community-owned renewable energy. They were the early adopters. " (http://www.forumforthefuture.org/blog/civil-society-leaders-call-new-energy-future)