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Listen to Community Energy Wales' Co-executive Directors Ben Ferguson and Leanne Wood discussing community energy and shared ownership on the Leanne Wood podcast.
Energy Efficiency Are We Taking Control?
A long-term Energy Efficiency Strategy should be the single most important element in any moves to enhance the UK’s energy security. We need to also power down.
Read MoreWALES “BOOK OF THE YEAR” MONEY INVESTED IN RENEWABLE ENERGY
by Robert Minhinnick
I was very pleased to celebrate Wales ‘Book of the Year’ 2018 in a creative way. Some of the prize money has been invested in shares in the Ynni Teg wind turbine, officially opened in Meidrim, Carmarthenshire, on September 21.
The turbine itself has been officially named “Geraint Gwyllt”, in honour of cyclist Geraint Thomas, in a competition won by 6 year-old Mali Page.
And no, I didn’t read anything from ‘Diary of the Last Man’. Instead, I chose my version of Menna Elfyn’s ‘Ia Cymru’, which I translate as ‘Welsh Ice’.
Click to enlarge
The poem is about climate change, melting ice, rising tides, and the loss of the Welsh language. This latter is a glacier disappearing before our eyes. Especially appropriate, I thought, as Menna Elfyn lives close by.
Shares can be purchased from:
YnNi Teg: fair energy for Wales | Renewable energy in Wales www.ynniteg.cymru/
Our mission is to help Wales develop a clean energy future and mitigate climate change by installing renewable energy generation, in a fair, democratic way.
Listen to the successful public meeting "Producing our own Energy"
An engaged audience listened and questioned the guest speakers: Chris Blake
Community Energy Wales, Robert Proctor RENEW Wales / Community Energy Wales, Shea Jones
Re-Energising Wales Project Officer, Institute of Welsh Affairs, Ceri Williams Bridgend C.B.C. and Margaret Minhinnick, Director Sustainable Wales.
The meeting was chaired by Richard Thomas (Sustainable Wales) and Introduced by Councillor Huw David, Leader of Bridgend County Borough Council. Welsh Government and Rural Development Plan (reach, BCBC) representatives were also present to talk with attendees and provide information on their current activities. Thanks to all who attended and spoke, and the help of the Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl staff for enabling the event to run smoothly.
An audio podcast of the meeting is now available. Listen now or download below or directly access the recording at SoundCloud where it can be downloaded.
Original description details of the event.
Other podcasts are available from Sustainable Wales
This recording omits the Shine a Light? film as you can watch that separately on our site
Britain's only "green gas supplier" to cut gas bills
Ecotricity is cutting gas bills for all UK customers by 7% from April 1 – it’s the biggest price reduction of any energy company in Britain so far.
Those with the provider’s standard variable dual fuel tariff and its gas-only variable tariff will benefit from the move – including those with prepayment meters.
Electricity-only customers will not see prices fall, and Ecotricity does not sell fixed-rate tariffs.
Which? verdict on Ecotricity
Last year, Ecotricity shared the top spot with Good Energy; this year it’s down to third place with a slight drop in customer score.
Ecotricity: highly rated by Which?
Established in 1996 as a green electricity company, 100% of its electricity now comes from renewable sources. Its gas is promised to be frack-free (no shale gas), and Ecotricity says it has spent an average of £265 a year per customer on building new sources of green electricity over the past decade.
Ecotricity has a very simple tariff structure, offering just one tariff for electricity and one for gas, with no exit fees. Read the complete review at Which?
Have other providers cut bills?
The move by Ecotricity follows previous price cuts announced by the major energy providers over the last few weeks:
- E.on cut gas prices by 5.1% from 1 February.
- Scottish Power will cut gas prices by 5.4% from 15 March.
- British Gas will cut gas prices by 5.1% from 16 March.
- EDF will cut gas prices by 5% from 24 March.
- Npower will cut gas prices by 5.2% from 28 March.
- SSE will cut gas prices by 5.3% from 29 March.
More on the price cut at Moneywise
Free guide to green electricity suppliers, from Ethical Consumer
About Ecotricity:
"Britain's Greenest Energy"
Green energy supply table (source: Ecotricity Jan 2016 Lifecycle emissions) Click to enlarge
"Green electricity is always going to be better for the environment than conventional electricity from fossil fuels and nuclear sources with their associated emissions and radioactive waste (which we still haven’t found a long term disposal solution for).
It’s this sort of electricity that The Big Six and most independent companies supply. But not all green electricity is equal- some sources of it have a lower impact than others.
As you can see from the table below the electricity we supply is the greenest of any company in Britain, by some way.
And since we’re the only company supplying green gas in Britain, we don’t need to do a lifecycle analysis to know that ours is the greenest. It’s currently 5% green, and that percentage will grow as we build our own Green Gas Mills – through our unique model, turning your bills into mills." - Ecotricity
To find out more or switch to Ecotricity, you can use the button below, or quote RAF-4AB73 online or over the phone if you sign up. We will receive a referral bonus if you sign up.
Sustainable Wales Profiles ‘Local Heroes’ in 3 New Short Films
COMMUNITY ENERGY – SHINE A LIGHT?
We Profile ‘Local Heroes’ in 3 New Short Films launched at the Centre For Alternative Technology, Machynlleth.
We've just released three short films profiling the importance of local renewable energy schemes.
The charity believes such local schemes are an answer to climate change(**) and the chronic fuel poverty now encountered in Wales.
(Latest figures from the Welsh government indicate 30% of the Welsh population experiences fuel poverty - defined as spending over 10% of income on fuel).
“The films, made by innovative Park6 Productions, are a means to broadcast the community energy message and to encourage the public, local authority staff and politicians to learn more”, said Sustainable Wales Director, Margaret Minhinnick.
“The three short community-based films aim to highlight the challenges groups face in Wales to develop local renewable energy. Their content supports the idea of democratising our energy supply, bringing ownership and profit back into communities whilst reducing climate change”.
The films show community groups Bro Gwaun near Fishguard, which now has a wind turbine; Awel Aman Tawe in the Swansea Valley with planning for 2 turbines, and Friends of Taff Bargoed Country Park developing a hydro power scheme in Treharris near Merthyr.
The three films were launched at the ‘Renew Wales’ conference, at the Centre for Alternative Technology, Machynlleth, on January 20. The response was overwhelmingly supportive.
Margaret Minhinnick explained “Local energy schemes are massively important in Germany and other EU countries, creating local jobs and supporting the local economy, but the UK has been extremely slow to catch on.”
“The three films are based around local groups which have fought against the odds. They are run by real local heroes in Wales striving to make this happen in spite of all the challenges they face and hard work it entails.’ said Robert Proctor, Renew Wales Director.
“We will be producing further films which will profile the energy ideas of political thinkers like Dr Calvin Jones of Cardiff University and former MP Alan Simpson. Also, we hope to profile the green energy ‘cluster’ at Parc Stormy (Stormy Down), where exciting developments are underway continued Margaret “Sustainable Wales believes that local community energy schemes are the way ahead.”
Further information: 01656 783962
Robert Proctor. Tel: 02920 190260
Notes
The three films, produced by Sustainable Wales were funded by the Big Lottery ‘Awards For All’ programme with support from Renew Wales. and Community Energy Wales www.communityenergywales.org.uk
Park6Productions (who support the charity by offering reduced fees)
**Welsh Local Government Association climate change projections suggest that if we don’t plan ahead extreme weather events will become more prevalent. The conditions outlined below are likely:
· essential infrastructure (transport, IT energy, waste) may be compromised;
· water and food supply may be disrupted;
· risks to communities increase, especially among the elderly and other vulnerable groups;
· economic productivity may be reduced due to flooding, high temperatures and transport impacts;
· agriculture may suffer due to loss of soils, lack of water;
· ecosystems services (flood retention, food production) may be degraded.
could you Help Sustainable Wales to develop two new groups? (Arts and Culture and Community Energy).
Autumn begins and new challenges emerge. Sustainable Wales has two new exciting opportunities for motivated people.
We’re hoping to develop an ‘Arts, Craft and Culture Trail’ for Porthcawl, following a very successful feasibility study. Also, we are about to produce ‘Shine a Light?‘ – a short challenging film outlining the difficulties of community energy development in the UK – solar, hydro, biomass, geothermal, wind. The aim of the film is educational and supports democratising our energy supply, bringing ownership and profit back into communities.
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