The Hub’s second Seeing is Believing tour took us to Devon, where we chartered a bus to visit some really inspiring clean energy projects that benefit local people and the communities they live in.
The purpose of our ongoing programme of Seeing is Believing tours is to showcase the benefits of local community energy projects and organisations to council officers and elected members and to demonstrate how local authorities and community energy organisations can work together.
Council officers and councillors from East Devon, Mid Devon, South Hams and Cornwall councils braved the wind and rain (not quite the beautiful summer’s day we’d envisaged!) to join us on the tour, along with several representatives from community energy organisations based in Devon and Cornwall.
The tour began in Totnes, where we visited Totnes Renewable Energy Society (TRESOC)’s weir hydro on the River Dart. We were joined by Sally Murrall-Smith and Ian Bright from TRESOC who gave us the history of the hydro and spoke about the challenges and rewards of setting up an Energy Local club to deliver the electricity directly to local people. It was fascinating to hear about the hard work that has gone into implementing and maintaining Totnes Energy Local, and particularly inspiring to do so with a backdrop of the hydro in action.
Next stop was Meadowbrook Community Centre, managed by the Dartington Recreation Association (DRA). Mark and Mandy Burton gave us a tour of their local community centre, which boasts a playground, bike track, sauna, taphouse, pizzeria, and several rooms for community use. Sadly we didn’t get to sample the pizza, but we did get to see the rooftop solar and batteries on the pool pavilion and hear about the plans for larger solar arrays on the neighbouring primary school, special needs school and the DRA car park. Once installed, the aim is for the electricity generated by these arrays to power the community centre, the two schools and the Brook (a respite centre run by Devon County Council) in a small-scale Energy Local model.
Back on the bus, we headed down to Plymouth where we heard from Plymouth Energy Community (PEC), Yealm Community Energy (YCE) and Community Energy Plus (CEP). PEC and CEP both offer energy advice services to local residents, for which there has been an increased demand since the rise in energy prices, while YCE focus purely on electricity generation and using surplus revenues to deliver community benefit grants.
Our final stop of the day was Ernesettle Solar Farm, a 4.1 MW array across 18 acres of derelict land on the edge of the River Tamar. The solar farm was installed by PEC in 2016, and Paul Elliott explained how having support from Plymouth City Council was integral to building local trust in the project. Initially financed by a low-cost loan from the council, the project then raised almost £1m through a community share offer, with investors now receiving a fair return. Surplus revenues are used to deliver fuel poverty and carbon reduction projects in Plymouth. The land is rented from a local Community Trust, and it was clear that nature is now flourishing at the once derelict site.
Our next tour will take place early in the autumn, when will be visiting sites in Hampshire. More details to follow.