The sustainable energy initiatives, such rooftop solar or rural heat networks, will produce energy while spurring private investment to expand programs in nearby communities.
Additionally, the fund will strengthen local communities, promote local economic development, and increase access to cheap, clean energy.
The opportunity to earn a portion of the new Community Energy Fund for their region will be available to both urban and rural areas. Early in the fall, applications will be available.
Local governments will create their own renewable energy initiatives.
All of the renewable energy initiatives will be created by locals. They consist of:
Small-scale wind farms, rooftop solar alliances, battery storage, rural heat networks, electric vehicle charging stations, and programs to combat fuel poverty.
“Local communities are at the heart of our plans to boost our energy security and grow the economy,” said Andrew Bowie, UK Minister for Nuclear and Networks. Communities will be given the means to accomplish this thanks to the Community Energy Fund for England.
They will be able to advance cutting-edge renewable energy initiatives that will have a positive impact over the long term by lowering prices, fostering stronger communities, and securing clean energy for future generations.
Communities Will Create Their Own Projects For Renewable Energy.
Local residents will all develop the renewable energy initiatives. They comprise:
- Small-scale wind farms,
- rooftop solar partnerships,
- battery storage,
- rural heat networks,
- electric vehicle charging stations,
- fuel poverty alleviation programs are some examples of the energy-related innovations.
Local communities are at the center of our ambitions to strengthen our energy security and expand the economy, according to UK Minister for Nuclear and Networks Andrew Bowie. Communities in England will have the necessary resources thanks to the Community Energy Fund.
They will be able to advance ground-breaking renewable energy initiatives that will have a long-lasting positive effect by lowering prices, fostering stronger communities, and securing clean energy for future generations.
The projects will provide people and businesses with inexpensive, secure, and clean homegrown energy while assisting homeowners in managing their own energy consumption to lower expenses and combat fuel poverty, whether in a distant hamlet or a city neighborhood.
The excess funds from these renewable energy installations will be reinvested directly into the neighborhood through initiatives like community gardens and youth job organizations.
In turn, this will assist in realizing the government’s goals of reviving confidence and pride in local communities and constructing a better future for the entire nation.
Congleton Hydro: Creating Local, Secure, and Clean Energy
The new Community Energy Fund expands on the success of the previous Rural Community Energy Fund (RCEF), investing in renewable energy for both urban and rural regions.
Renewable energy initiatives like Congleton Hydro, which got £73,511 from the Rural Community Energy Fund, will be funded by the Community Energy Fund.
The Congleton Hydro project generates enough electricity from a nearby weir to supply 60 households at a low cost.
Along with lowering local emissions, the project’s success has enabled the establishment of a yearly £5,000 fund for community-based renewable energy initiatives.
The extra income has so far been used to pay for a re-wilding initiative to protect the local wildlife and an educational program to train young people to promote local sustainability.
“The Rural Communities Energy Fund (RCEF) has been a real enabler for Dane Vally Community Energy’s Congleton Hydro, helping us to refine the system design and commission additional environmental studies required by the local planning authority,” said Bob Owen, Chartered Engineer at Congleton Hydro.
“Further funds from RCEF have enabled us to successfully specify and design the next hydro scheme based on another historic weir in Congleton Park and fund the research and realization of a Community Solar Scheme—the Community Share Prospectus,” he said in his conclusion.
“It is highly unlikely that either scheme would have come to fruition without funding for local renewable energy projects,” the report states.
