SETTLE ENERGY LOCAL CLUB
Background
We have been preparing for the setting up of a local energy club during the last 12 months, which started in 2022 with a three-stage consultation involving the public and key local interests.
Following this, a Local Energy Plan was produced showing the potential to sustainably generate a good proportion of the electricity needs in Settle, Giggleswick and Langcliffe – the club area being determined by the the geographical coverage of the relevant electricity sub station.
The Benefits of an Energy Club
Through joining a local energy local co-operative generator members (community organisations, businesses and individuals with solar panels) can sell their surplus electricity to other (consumer) members. Everyone benefits because the club agrees the prices each year to be fair to those who have or will spend money on panels and cheaper to consume than the big electricity suppliers charge. The cost of electricity units will vary at some times of day, encouraging everyone to even out demand. It is all worked out through your smart meter.
We now want to bring together householders, businesses, clubs and societies who might be interested in the savings and investment opportunities from a Local Energy Club. We already have a number of community organisations interested in being generators for the Club, some of whom already have solar panels.
Joining the Roof-top Revolution
One of the easiest technologies to use for generating renewable energy is roof-top solar. The energy group has commissioned a ‘roof-top’ survey which shows where savings could be made with bulk purchase and installation of solar panels on large buildings and clusters of houses.
We will be holding a session to go through the findings, including what this could mean for your roof, who you buy your electricity from and ways to fund installations – details of that coming soon. We will also be hosting the results elsewhere on the website.
We are also exploring the installation of other technologies such as small scale wind turbines (appropriately sited) with local landowners.
Thermal imaging camera – in addition to creating more energy we are also keen to support the local community to ‘power down’ and to save money through reducing heat loss by increasing e.g. insulation. We now have on long term loan from Yorkshire Dales Millenium Trust a thermal imaging camera which can be borrowed to pinpoint where a building is losing heat.
Energy Club staff
The club will need a small number of volunteer directors and will be securing funding to employ a paid part-time advisor shortly, to support the directors in getting the club off the ground, as a separate organisation to ACE. We have already obtained training and some modelling of generation and finances from Energy Local CIC, who are also helping with the initial set up.
If you are interested in either becoming a director or the paid adviser, please get in touch: acesettleandarea@gmail.com.
For more details of the paid advisor role, please see the job description here: SELC Advisor job description Final (18.05.23)
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New renewable energy projects in and around Settle?
Our energy group has been working hard with other local people looking at the possibility of developing some new renewable energy projects – for which we have produced this Local Energy Plan
The above report builds on ‘Settle Sustainable Town’ a ‘Co2Sense’ report commissioned by the then ‘Settle Area Regeneration Team (StART)’ to develop a 10 year low carbon action plan, from 2012 to 2022. StART was set up by a group of motivated local people, supported by local agencies, after the outbreak of foot and mouth disease, to provide a platform through which people could ‘kick start’ their sustainable ideas into realisable projects. ‘Settle Sustainable Town’ report can be viewed here: Settle-Strategy-FINAL1
Leeds University have also produced a ‘Settle Roadmap’ study for the Town Council (2021) for reducing carbon emissions which can be viewed here: Settle Summary Roadmap
Electrical Vehicle Charging Points
We are pleased to see that charging points are being installed in Craven District Council owned car parks and Yorkshire Dales National Park car parks. There is one now operational in Ashfield Car Park, Settle.
We have also been pressing Booths supermarket to install at least fast charging points, as they have done at some of their other stores.
The Energy Hierarchy
We participated and promoted Craven District Council’s three month ‘Energy Saving’ campaign between November 2021-February 2022, run by the campaign organisation Hubbub.
One of our members has given a talk on installing ‘Solar Energy Generation’ at home, that you can see a recording of here.
If you are interested in renewable energy for your home have a look at Cumbria Action for Sustainability’s resources here.