Keith Richardson

CoRE North West

Governance and Social Enterprise

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Barriers

1. Societal?2. Technological?

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Community renewables

1. Happens in Europe2. Needed 3. Best resources4. Load of feasibility studies5. But............

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Community barriers

1. Lack credibility2. Lack expertise3. Complicated4. Centralised system5. Lack of incentives

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Community Renewable Energy

• Works as partner with communities and social enterprises to set up renewables.

• Jointly owned company• Community provides local knowledge &

accountability• CoRE provides resources, expertise and credibility• Market driven

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Community Renewable Energy

• Owned by companies it sets up• CoRE Network• Open source• A social enterprise and social franchise• A federation of independent organisations• Set up in NW

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CoRE projects

• Berwick CoRE - 800 kW wind turbine and food waste AD plant

• Glendale CoRE – 800 kW wind turbines• Harbottle CoRE – gasification plant• Ouseburn CoRE – food waste AD plant• Morpeth CoRE – food waste & agricultural AD plant• Teesdale CoRE – 33 village halls• BioCoRE – veg oil CHP and AD• ESCoRE – Energy supply company

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Community Renewable Energy North West

• Focussed on CAD in Cumbria – profitable and quicker

• Working with 6 groups of farmers and others – about 5 mW capacity

• Pilot is Blackdyke Industrial Estate Energy Farm

• Probably most active developer of CAD?

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Drivers

• Third of dairy farmers left industry• NVZ regulations• Cost of slurry storage• Slurry nuisance: odour, inefficient fertiliser• Increasingly profitable – double ROCs and rising

energy costs• Long term stability• New image of ‘Energy Farmer’ (food, feed & fuel)

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Ownership

Plant run by Blackdyke Industrial Estate Energy Farm – a company limited by shares owned by

• Blackdyke Farmers Cooperative

• CoRE NW

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Site Details

• 1mW installed capacity• 7,700,00 kWh/yr• Electricity most to grid• Heat on site• Farmers take Digestate• Manure, slurry, grass

silage, chicken litter

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AD Example

Construction of a 1.8MW agriculturalbiogas plant with basement 2m below ground

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Dividends

• Profits low for first five years • When capital repaid make a profit of £600,000• Shared between farmers and CoRE NW• Small community fund – 5%?

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Farm-based AD

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Benefits

• Increase farmers' income by £16,300 for supplying materials plus dividends

• Retain young people in the dairy industry, • Improved quality of life for famers• “Creating sustainability for the family and farm,

allowing us to carry on farming”• Chemical fertiliser use reduced by a fifth• 3.5 jobs created and19.5 safeguarding

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Socio-economic benefits

• Increased usage of land • Save 3200 tonnes CO2 and uncontrolled methane

release• “Improve land environment – spreading when

conditions are right. Putting (fertiliser) on land that requires it at the right time instead of having to get rid of it (slurry) when store is full on to land that does not need it and in the wrong weather destroying the soil. It will help us improve soil structure and get better yielding crops improving income.”

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Contact Details

CoRE North West: The Hub, c/o Office 1, The Oval Centre, Salterbeck Drive, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 5HA

Keith RichardsonT: 07951935 235, E: keith@core.coop

www.corecoop.net

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