It’s exciting times as the new national Friends of the Earth campaign on community energy is currently being planned. We’re not quite sure of the final form yet but, as a small curtain-raiser to that campaign, we thought we’d present three local community energy groups and projects and what they’re up to.
Julien Pritchard
Power for Good
Power for Good is a locally based inter-church and inter-faith co-operative that takes local action to combat global climate change.
In its first project, Power for Good aims to install solar photovoltaic panels on the roofs of five places of worship: four churches and one mosque, helping to reduce the carbon footprint and the electricity bills of each. More projects will follow.
Power for Good expects to issue its Community Share Offer Prospectus at the end of March 2014. So, we are now inviting individuals and organisations to invest in Power for Good by purchasing our Community Shares. Shareholders automatically become members, and qualify for tax relief of 30% of their investment if taxpayers. Investors may expect to earn a dividend after three years, subject to Power for Good’s performance.
Interested? Please contact us now by either:
email via ‘contact us’ on our website: www.pfg.coop
phone John Heywood on 0121 241 5830
text PFG-YES and your email address to 07757 071 414
write to Power for Good, 3 Roxburgh Road, Sutton Coldfield B73 6LD.
Read more about us on our website: www.pfg.coop
John Wilkinson
Community Energy Birmingham
Community Energy Birmingham (formerly Core50) is an energy co-operative creating renewable energy installations within Birmingham.
Community Energy Birmingham successfully installed solar panels at the Ackers activity centre in Sparkbrook. The solar panels provide the centre with electricity much cheaper than through traditional means, whilst Community Energy Birmingham receives the feed in tariff.
That installation proved to be a great success so the co-operative are looking into creating more projects across Birmingham. They are in the planning phase for their next project, which will build on the success of the solar panels at the Ackers. Community Energy Birmingham are optimistic that they can be part of a much bigger movement that will help transform our future energy supply to clean renewable energy.
If you would like to know more about Community Energy Birmingham, get involved, or be notified when the share offer for investment in their next project, please contact Beck Collins at communityenergybrum@gmail.com
Shaz Rahman
Staffordshire Sunny Schools
Staffordshire Sunny Schools is a new GenCommunity community energy project seeking investment and is hosted by prospective local partner South Staffordshire Community Energy (SSCE).
SSCE work as a cooperative to invest in new ways to generate energy from renewable sources as well as helping help local communities to reduce their energy usage. GenCommunity themselves are a community benefit society, run for the benefit of the community rather than investors.
The project is raising money to put solar panels on the roofs of 25 schools across the county. Three installations have already been completed. They’re looking to raise £880,000 pounds from across the UK but particularly local communities and businesses. The solar panels are projected to save about 10,500 barrels of oil over the 20-year life-time of the project and £1.8-2.8 million worth of energy savings to schools.
GenCommunity have outlined the share offer for the project: £500 minimum investment and the deadline is 24 February 2014. Any surplus after investor profit (projected 10.48% return with tax relief) goes to the Community Fund, managed by South Staffordshire Community Energy.
Solar-panelled schools provide a platform for practical education and awareness-raising among pupils. So, as well as saving and generating renewable energy, this project will educate the next generation in the importance of renewable energy!
For more information on the share offer check out: http://www.gen-community.co.uk/share_offer/
For more information on Southern Staffordshire Community Energy see: http://ssce.co.uk/
Tim Atkinson
