The People's Power Station is Officially Launched
The People's Power Station was officially launched at Millenium Village Hall, Lawrenny on Monday 30th November 2009, and was attneded by over 35 people.
The successful evening began with a presentation from our guest speaker; the well respected Peter Davies, Commissioner for Wales, UK Sustainable Development Commission. This set the wider context for the presentation to launch the PPS, which provided guests with more detail and insight into the project, how it works and to invite them to come forward with potential projects that could be supported under the PPS.
A more thorough account of the evening will be placed on the Diary page, and presentations from the evening will be made availabel for downloading. [Diary]
News
Low Carbon Buildings Programme closes (May 2010)
The Low Carbon Buildings Programme (LCBP) which has provided government grants towards the installation of renewable energy technologies has fallen victim to the the deficit reduction measures anounced by the new coalition government. Grants for heat generating technologies were due to finish early 2011 when they will be replaced with the Renewable Heat Incentive, whilst the electricity generating grant finished February 2010. However, no LCBP grant will be offered to new applicants.
Feed in Tariffs introduced (March 2010)
The Low Carbon Buildings Programme grants for electricity generating renewable energy technologies closed in February and have been replced from April 1st 2010 with the new Feed in Tariff (FIT). This new scheme will pay system owners for ALL of the electricity they produce from low or zero carbon sources regardless of whether they use the electricity in-house or export it to the local electricity network.
FITs will potentially make renewables an excellent financial investment and could be quite profitable for people with systems installed between July 15th 2009 going through to the next couple of years. Regular reviews of the progress of the scheme will be made every few years to determine its future running.
Those projects wishing to benefit from the FIT whilst making use of any funding/grant assistance must be careful not to break EU rules governing state aid. More information is given in the FIT document on page 43, paragraph 167:
For more information visit the official Feed in Tariff website: http://www.fitariffs.co.uk/
The People's Power Station website goes live (November 2010)
The website for the People's Power Station goes live. As it grows the website will provide all sorts of interesting information about the project, what is happening, how it is progressing, and it will keep you up to date with the latest news.
Be sure to check back regularly - this is a dynamic website that will evolve and be updated/added to frequently.
The renewable energy map let's you play your part in developing Wales most comprehensive and interactive map of renewable energy. Join in the fun yourself by registering your details with us. [Renewable Energy Map]
Government White Paper releases details of Feed In Tariffs (October 2010)
Feed-in tariffs (FITs) are to be introduced for renewable energy generators from April 2010 as set out in the Government’s Energy White Paper. FITs are designed to pay generators of green electricity a premium for both energy generated (whether used on site or not) and energy exported to the local distribution network. The scheme will be open to householder, community groups, businesses, etc. up to a specified size of installation.
The remuneration for energy generated is expected to allow each type of system to effectively pay for itself over its designed operational lifetime. For a brief period of time new system owners will benefit from both the grants from the Low Carbon Buildings Programme and the FIT scheme.
The West Wales Eco Centre has recently hosted a major and very successful conference and follow-up seminar on the Feed in Tariff scheme and consultation paper. Follow this link for in-depth details on what happened and our response to the consultation paper.
Although this relates to electricity generation only, a ‘FIT’ system for renewable heat generation is to be introduced in April 2011.
Code for System Homes requirements come into effect (October 2010)
From September 2009 any developments of five dwellings or more will need to meet the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3, and from September 2010 all new homes built in Wales will need to achieve at least Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3.
The Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) is a method for assessing and certifying the environmental performance of a new home. This goes far beyond insulation and energy saving measures as it provides a holistic approach to the assessment of the development.
For further information on CSH and what it may mean for you as a developer or self-builder please contact the West Wales Eco Centre.
Low Carbon Communities Challenge (October 2010)
The Low Carbon Communities Challenge is looking to work with 20 communities across the UK which are at an advanced stage with some sort of low carbon action plan for their area. A total of £10milion has been made available to provide each community with up to £0.5million to implement their plans.
For more information on the challenge and to apply please visit: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/consumers/lc_communities/lc_communities.aspx
Deadlines for applying to this are tight so communities need to act quickly:
Expressions of interest must be received by noon 28th October 2009
Phase 1 applications must be received by noon 27th November 2009, and Phase 2 applications by noon 30th December 2009.
Green Communities Challenge
The Green Communities Challenge
The Green Valleys