Community energy using renewable resources
One of AAFAF’s ambitions is to harness the natural resources in our area to generate renewable energy which is then delivered to the local community. The potential to generate our own energy was highlighted back in 2019 by a Research Study which indicated that we could generate some 3.5 GWh of energy annually in Ambleside from solar power (roof-mounted photovoltaic (PV) panels) alone. This equates to 60% of the domestic energy consumption in Ambleside.
Ambleside already has over 50 solar PV installations, and we hope to build on that excellent start. You can see where most of these are at our map (if you know of any more not on the map do let us know).
AAFAF has been a pioneer in developing the ‘Solar Made Easy’ model to make it easier for households and small businesses across Cumbria to install solar PV. Take a look at our Solar Made Easy page for more details on this excellent scheme.
Ambleside already has over 50 solar PV installations, and we hope to build on that excellent start. You can see where most of these are at our map (if you know of any more not on the map do let us know).
AAFAF has been a pioneer in developing the ‘Solar Made Easy’ model to make it easier for households and small businesses across Cumbria to install solar PV. Take a look at our Solar Made Easy page for more details on this excellent scheme.
Solar PV on community buildings
Both in Ambleside and the surrounding area there are several Community buildings that, in theory, could generate significant amounts of solar energy. Unlocking this potential is not easy, as often hurdles around ownership and financial investment come into play. As part of our research into the potential for a community energy project, we came across the Big Solar Coop.
The Big Solar Co-op is a new approach to subsidy-free community solar, supported by Sharenergy. Their model involves volunteers finding sites within the community, where Big Solar install solar PV that is owned and maintained by them. The investment comes from a national share offer. Electricity generated from the solar PV is then sold to the site via a long-term power purchase agreement at a significantly discounted unit cost.
As a not-for-profit with carbon reduction at their heart, we decided that the Big Solar Coop was a good partner for us.
In Ambleside we reviewed a long list of about 20 community buildings as potential sites, and of these, three were identified as feasible for inclusion in the Big Solar Pioneer Programme. None has yet progressed to installation but we hope this will change in time soon.
Both in Ambleside and the surrounding area there are several Community buildings that, in theory, could generate significant amounts of solar energy. Unlocking this potential is not easy, as often hurdles around ownership and financial investment come into play. As part of our research into the potential for a community energy project, we came across the Big Solar Coop.
The Big Solar Co-op is a new approach to subsidy-free community solar, supported by Sharenergy. Their model involves volunteers finding sites within the community, where Big Solar install solar PV that is owned and maintained by them. The investment comes from a national share offer. Electricity generated from the solar PV is then sold to the site via a long-term power purchase agreement at a significantly discounted unit cost.
As a not-for-profit with carbon reduction at their heart, we decided that the Big Solar Coop was a good partner for us.
In Ambleside we reviewed a long list of about 20 community buildings as potential sites, and of these, three were identified as feasible for inclusion in the Big Solar Pioneer Programme. None has yet progressed to installation but we hope this will change in time soon.
Power for the People
The UK still does not have the capability to fully harness the potential of solar PV; both the infrastructure and ability of communities to be able to develop and sell power from local Solar projects is restricted. However, there are passionate groups working to change the current UK policy and make Community Energy projects easier to implement in the future.
One such group is ‘Power for People’, a not-for-profit organisation campaigning for the UK to rapidly transition to 100% clean energy and for this to benefit local economies. So far, they have drafted the Local Electricity Bill and are campaigning for it to be made law. This would give community-scale renewable energy a massive boost by empowering communities to sell their energy directly to local people. To see the bill become law, the number of supportive MPs must increase to a critical mass of around 400.
The UK still does not have the capability to fully harness the potential of solar PV; both the infrastructure and ability of communities to be able to develop and sell power from local Solar projects is restricted. However, there are passionate groups working to change the current UK policy and make Community Energy projects easier to implement in the future.
One such group is ‘Power for People’, a not-for-profit organisation campaigning for the UK to rapidly transition to 100% clean energy and for this to benefit local economies. So far, they have drafted the Local Electricity Bill and are campaigning for it to be made law. This would give community-scale renewable energy a massive boost by empowering communities to sell their energy directly to local people. To see the bill become law, the number of supportive MPs must increase to a critical mass of around 400.
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