Community Energy Fund powers 12 more projects

The twelve projects receiving funding from the third and final round of the Community Energy Fund, have been announced. 

The fund – now succeeded by the Great British Energy Community Fund – provided funding to help community groups take the first step in generating energy where it is used, and which local people benefit from.

Like the Great British Energy Community Fund, the national fund is managed locally by the North East and Yorkshire Net Zero Hub. 

The successful applications to the third round of the Community Energy Fund are:

• School for Sustainable Living – Awarded £30,000 to investigate the feasibility of a micro-hydro scheme in a local stream. The project will also explore heat pumps, EV charging and smart meter controls, for local residents, to take advantage of the energy produced which is expected to give a 30% reduction in their average electricity tariff.
• Sustainable Arts in Leeds – Awarded £34,820 to investigate the feasibility of Solar PV panels on top of a warehouse in Leeds to sell electricity back to the Grid or local businesses, to build capital for future sustainability projects for the creative and cultural sector.
• End Energy Poverty – Awarded £39,999.20 to investigate the feasibility of Solar PV panels and heat pumps at two youth community buildings in Hull. This will give the buildings a 40% reduction on energy costs and the income generated with the surplus energy will establish a ‘start-up’ fund to enable new organisations to pilot new renewable energy ideas, as well as ongoing business support to the third-sector organisations.
• Sheffield and District African Caribbean Community Association – Awarded £36,750 to investigate the feasibility of installing Solar PV panels to generate energy and LED lighting to reduce carbon emissions, while also exploring heat networks and energy efficiency improvements of a building that incorporates a Grade II listed hall.  The savings created from energy costs will used to create a community fund 
• St Andrew Housing Co-operative (Beverley) – Awarded £39,788.40 for to investigate the feasibility of Solar PV being installed across their housing to power their buildings and EV chargers. They will also include investigating the potential of a heat network, heat pumps, battery storage and the potential to sell excess power to high demand customers. This would support their wider energy advice service to vulnerable households, and the wider community through a community share issue. This project could be an exemplar demonstrating how the grid can support renewables at a local level, and how alternative revenue sources can be monetised for communities and housing co-ops by investing in renewables.
• Canopy Housing (Leeds)– Awarded £32,950 to investigate the feasibility of Solar PV, battery storage, heat pumps or suitable low carbon heating with the added development of smart tariffs/ smart tech, on the 82 properties under their ownership. The aim is to create a community energy asset, enabling households suffering extreme fuel poverty to heat their homes with low carbon heating through a pooled energy model and shared power from Solar PV.
• The Green Estate (Sheffield) – Awarded £39,730 to investigate the potential opportunities for developing greener energy at their site via a Biomass or Minewater heat network, Solar PV and energy created from their green waste through biomass CHP and biomass pyrolysis. This project will explore community share offers for investment and Green Estate to offer discounted electricity to local residents as well as reducing service delivery costs so they can offer more nature workshops, educational events, and health-focused activities.
• Castle Howard Foundation (York)– Awarded £40,000 to investigate the feasibility of a deep geothermal heat network for the village of Coneysthorpe. The financial benefits of the scheme will be reinvested into the community to improve the energy efficiency of the historic hard to heat building stock.
• CERT CIC – Awarded £86,619.20 for Stage 2 project to further develop their Solar PV Stage 1 project from round 2, on 150 properties in Hull. This will give the housing a 40% reduction on energy costs and the income generated with the surplus energy will establish a ‘start-up’ fund to enable new organisations to pilot new renewable energy ideas, as well as ongoing business support to the third-sector organisations.
• The Rural Design Centre  (Morpeth)– Awarded £39,555  to investigate the feasibility of whether Solar PV installed on 5 separate community buildings across Teesdale, could create enough power for EV chargers at these community buildings. This will give local residents more opportunity to change to EV vehicles and also offer the facility to visitors.
• Circular Malton and Norton – Awarded £40,000 for Stage 1 project to investigate the feasibility of creating a community-led renewable energy hub and private supply network including Solar PV, battery storage and an Anaerobic Digestion (AD) facility. Profits generated will be reinvested into the local community such as sustainability projects, start-up business support for upcycling materials, environmental education, and green energy advice schemes.
• York Community Energy (pictured)– Awarded £61,403 for Stage 2 project to further develop the solar project in York, that was explored in their round 1 and 2 projects. As well as reducing energy costs for the buildings involved the revenue will support the York Energy Advice which targets vulnerable households struggling with their energy bills.
• National Coal Mining Museum for England  – Awarded £39,793 to investigate the feasibility of Solar PV, Wind turbines, hydro-electric turbines and other sustainable power to decarbonise the Wakefield site and become a national showcase of innovation, sustainable technologies and associated skills. This project aims to help the local community by providing an example of what can be achieved and creating more job and volunteering opportunities.

Image courtesy of York Community Energy