Practical help for Local

Authorities

Amber Moss & Debbie Marock

Overview

• Overview of Practical help• LAs using and promoting renewables• Main EST programmes• Questions/Discussion/Your experiences

Website

Ph: Other Services• We’ll answer any enquiry

regarding sustainable energy and environmentally-friendly transport

• Fortnightly email update (currently 1800 recipients)

• Newsletter issued quarterly

• Briefing notes and case studies

• Toolkits

• Energy from a resource that is virtually inexhaustible, which in the UK can include energy from:– The sun in the form of fuel crops, wind

power, hydro power, wave power and solar radiation;

– The moon in the form of tidal power;– The earth in the form of geothermal energy.

• Energy from certain wastes (?)

What is renewable energy?

Political context for renewable energy• Target: 12.5% reduction in greenhouse gasses

between 1990 and 2008/12• Target: 10% renewably-generated electricity

by 2010• Renewable obligation on electricity suppliers

main mechanism for higher renewables target• Climate Change Levy on non-domestic fuel

bills from 2001• Planning Policy Guidance 22

What can authorities do?• Purchase green power• Use renewables in own buildings and

housing• Promote renewables to general public• Produce supplementary planning guidance

Purchasing renewable electricity• Councils purchasing green electricity

include: Lewisham (100%), Stirling, Sandwell, Redbridge, Rotherham, Leicester, Stroud, Ceredigion, Plymouth and Hull

• Information on biggest buyers available from

www.greenprices.com• Benefits in reducing CCL (generally put 10%

on bill)

LA use of renewables

Craigavon BC – wind for efficient watersports centre

• Energy policy • Winning bid for watersports centre design &

build based on cost and energy measures• Two 6kW wind turbines• Disused waterwheel connected up• Funding for renewables provided by NI

department for economic development & the sports council

LA use of renewables

Small off-grid PV applications in Wales• Ceredigion County Council installed

prototype PV school traffic warning signals • 12 installed & 22 planned• Maintenance, installation costs and

Running costs improved

• Prototype PV powered bus stoplight

• 14 installed, 25 more planned

LA Solar Water HeatingKirklees and Calderdale, Simply Solar• Funding from EST’s Innovation Programme• Aim: 200 installations per year• One of the suppliers also involved in training

plumbers to install the systems• Householders gain from bulk discount prices,

plus a grant• Householders must install loft and cavity wall

insulation in order to qualify for the grant• After 3 weeks: 38 jobs were confirmed (13 DIY)

Solar Grants• Solar Grants programme provides capital

grants for photovoltaic systems• Up to 65% 'fixed' grant funding available to

large-scale applications (5kWp to 100 kWp) for public housing and local authority buildings

• Awards made quarterly on a competitive basis

Community Energy • CE supports upgrade of existing and

installation of new heat networks• Capital grants to cover the cost of system

installation• Development grants to cover the cost of

investigating the viability of proposed schemes

• Schemes must demonstrate carbon reduction

• Jointly managed by EST and Carbon Trust - £20 million in 2002/3, £30 million in 2003/4

For other information on renewable energy• Renewable energy enquiries bureau• Renewable Energy advice Service, via selected

EEACs• Community renewables initiative (and Scottish

CRI)• Clear Skies (funding)• Practical help

– www.practicalhelp.org.uk– 0870 241 2089– Info@practicalhelp.org.uk