Wind Energy

 

The group are currently investigating the potential for a Wind farm or park for Lancaster, based on the community owned energy cooperative model, so well developed and implemented by Baywind and Energy4All locally and nationally, and so common in Denmark and Sweden.

The concept

Some or all of a community renewable energy production deployment is owned by a community energy cooperative. The Westmill Wind Farm is an example of what can be acheived and is 100% community owned.The first win is the provision of a (CO2 reducing non-fossil fuel dependent) local renewable energy source.

Wind farms in particular have the capacity to generate a very good revenue stream. That stream can be channeled, after covering costs, into local energy reduction and micro generation projects for the people of the wider Lancaster District.

That's the second win, we create a climate friendly energy revenue source for reducing local household energy costs and building local resilience through micro generation for peoples homes. This in turn reduces CO2 emmisions and energy requirements, building resilience to expected price shocks in the oil and gas market in the very near future.

That's win, win, win. The further good news is that this is being done successfully in a number of places. It is not simple, daunting may be a more accurate description, however, a lot less daunting than the size of the Climate and Oil shocks that we are in for if we do nothing. Of course, if wind farms didn't make money, big companies wouldn't be building them! They do provide the local community with an opportunity to take ownership of and a secure investment in a sustainable energy future.

Of course people do and have objected and sometimes with good reason, however, nationally 80% of people are in favour of wind farms. Research conducted after the completion of a wind farm suggests that this approval rating goes up to 90%+. So why aren't there a lot more of them? Why has the UK got one of the best natural wind resources in europe and so little exploitation of it? Click here for some myth busting information from Energy4All

And here for Myths and Facts from BERR. See also the Swaffham turbine news storey linked below.

Wind turbines are not and indeed cannot provide the full solution, but they are clean, easy and quick to install and remove, leave the site usable they could be working for the community rather than solely corporate profits. I'm not against developers providing them, but the positive community benefit that is being gained in some places through community ownership schemes would be a shame to miss out on.

 

Lancaster district is ideally placed for connecting to the grid network, it could set an amazing example to other communities of what can be done for the benefit of the wider community. Lancaster has to make a massive reduction in it's CO2 emmissions and it cannot do this without a significant increase in renewables. Why shouldn't it be for the benefit of people, our homes, our energy security, our community.

Discussion Documents

Details of the next meetings can be found on the Whats On Page

Lots of great information on All aspects of Wind Energy available from The Wind Energy Planning Web Site including up to the minute news article links!

Report from Meeting at NWDA with Businesslink, EnviroLink and NWDA

Report on Research into Company Structures

PowerPoint slides shows - Company Structures and Industrial and Provident Society explorations

Policies of Groups in the UK Concerning Renewable Energy
Contacts and Policies of Groups in the UK Concerning Renewable Energy

Community Investment: Using Industrial and Provident Society Legislation a report by Jim Brown(www.bakerbrown.co.uk)

TCL Biogas Page

 

Are you Interested

If you have and interest and skills that you want to share with the this project please email:tclenergy@guiver.plus.com with the subject Wind Farm Interest

You can investigate the practicalities on the Energy4All 9 steps wind project website rather than generate a stack of new login accounts please use the login:

name: tclenergy@guiver.plus.com
password: tclenergy

 

There will be more when it's written - but here's an items to give you food for thought:

 

Video of the Swaffam turbine with a trip to the visitor gallery 67 meters up - one of only three in the world. Includes vox pop on local reations. Can you imagine one of these on Morecambe prom or a local hill? It could be a big tourist draw, fees could go into local renewables and the energy to local homes. What do you think? Email steve.