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Wiltshire Community Wind Energy Group News, Updates and Events |
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Wiltshire Community Wind Energy Group News, Updates and Events |
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Action News
This column gives an update on some of the actions we are doing, and other useful or interesting information. If you can help with any of the activities we would like to here from you. We hope that other groups (e.g. climate friendly groups) may find some of our work useful - we would be pleased to provide further details. All information is provided 'as is' with no guarantee with respect to accuracy or suitability for any purpose. The information is provided for use by members of Wiltshire Community Wind Energy and similar voluntary groups. It is only available for use by individuals or organisations with the written agreement of Wiltshire Community Wind Energy.
Technical Help Please Do you have any experience of using telephone or internet conferencing? We want to attract more members to our meetings but the distance is a problem both because of the time and cost (as well as the carbon footprint). We are aware of a few options but do you know of a good cheap or free service which we could use? Please get in touch at info@wiltshirewind.org.uk.
Thanks!
New Feed-in Tariff Scheme Gets Go Ahead The launch of the new financial scheme to support those generating renewable energy is the most important development in the industry for many years. The scheme starts this April and will pay a fixed sum per kWh produced over a 20 year period. This sum is index linked ensuring that inflation does not erode the payment. For typical farm or school wind applications the payment is about 21.8 - 29.7p per kWh, or more if the owner uses the electricity produced.
Good windy sites could deliver a financial return of 8%, or possibly more. Full details of the scheme are available from here and here. More straightforward practical guides will be out soon for those considering this opportunity.
Good news!
Feed-in Tariffs Feed-in tariffs (FITs) will ensure that those producing low-carbon electricity from small-scale wind turbines (and other renewable technologies) should get a reasonable financial return. Large scale wind is not targeted, but smaller 'agricultural' scale turbines will be - perhaps offering owners 16-20p per kWh. We expect the final figures to be confirmed very soon - in early February 2010, by the Department of Energy and Climate Change. Details will be available from here.
If the rates are as expected, feed-in tariffs will have a major impact on community renewable energy - so watch this space......
Cop out at Copenhagen - But Wiltshire looks forward Broadly it appears that most NGOs consider Copenhagen a failure. The Governments will eventually have to face climate change and the hope must be that this is now very soon - while we can. As individuals we must continue to do our best, and in the county there is much going on - if you need cheering up just go and look at Wiltshire World Changers . We should also not forget that climate change is in many ways unique - we are being asked to think into the future to look at a pollutant we can not see or taste, based on world climate models that only a very small number of people really understand. The contrasts with slavery, racism, rights for women or democracy is very stark - although the potential impacts of failure to address climate change could dwarf all these issues.
On the other hand the only real way that climate change will be addressed is through cooperation and understanding at all levels across the globe - perhaps 'good will to all men'.
Wiltshire Community Wind Energy at RegenSW conference in Bath RegenSW is the sustainable energy agency for the South West of England. Wiltshire Community Wind Energy was invited to speak briefly at their annual conference in Bath on the 11th November to discuss our aspirations and progress. By all accounts the talk seems to have been well received.
Due to hard work by the group we now have good and growing relationships with regional agencies, local authorities and a wide range of environmental groups. If you have a wind power idea we are always looking to help - so get in touch!
Join the Wave for a safe climate future for all Join the demonstration in London on the 5th December ahead of the crucial UN Climate summit in Copenhagen
Mind the Gap - Ofgem warns of energy supply risks to 2020 Ofgem warns of 'gas import dependency' especially where environment measures are only partially successful.
Do we really want to rely on some distant gas field to heat and light our homes and businesses? History tells us this is a very risky approach. Locally produced and used renewable energy must be the way forward - energy in our local hands
Calling all landowners Do you own land in Wiltshire? Have you been thinking of wind power? We may be able to help - so why not get in touch? Please see the contacts page. We are busy talking with people just like you now, so we would be pleased to help without commitment.
Wiltshire Councillors deny climate change... ......but not very many!
Victory! (15th September) Wiltshire Council decide to support the Nottingham Declaration, with council members voting 84 to 6 . In fact fewer members voted for abandoning it than signed the original motion! We are in a better position than before as it sounds like the Council will sign up to 10:10
7pm 14 September - There is going to be a rally at County Hall in Trowbridge from about 9.30am tomorrow. I am told that the meeting starts at 10:30 and the motion will be debated at 12:30 - but this could change. Councillors are likely to arrive an hour or more before the meeting so being early will have the most impact. This link has further details.
The motion is provided here . The Council officer response is here
There appears to be a group of Councillors that are aiming to persuade Wiltshire Council to reject activities that tackle the causes and consequences of climate change. Apparently there are aiming to persuade the Council to withdraw from the Nottingham Declaration . Details are still sketchy at the time of writing but environmental groups in the county are shocked - see this link for information.
In the papers... Have a look at the recent report on the group!
Westmill wind farm in the News See the BBC report here (will take some time to load)
Communities Sharing the Rewards Local communities should share in the success of local wind energy projects as suggested below:
"Since wind is 'common' which no one owns, local communities should share somehow in the rewards reaped from farming the wind blowing across their locality" Delivering Community Benefits from Wind Energy Development: A Toolkit
How this is done fairly and to provide real local benefit is quite a challenge, but there are many ideas and case studies already out there. It is important that the wind industry is seen to give as well as (some would see it) take. A view could be taken that as individuals we need to accept some personal 'loss' for the greater good. In fact we all do this to some extent, for example we accept road noise on the basis it helps others. However where possible wind farms should help support local communities.
Silton Wind Farm Planning Application Rejected Silton is in North Dorset not far from the Wiltshire border. North Dorset District Council are the planning authority and details of the application are available here and here. It is not possible to give a view about whether this was a 'good' decision or not without knowing the site well. However it is interesting that the planning officers in the council recommended the scheme whilst the councillors rejected it.
It is also interesting that the main individual objections where on landscape and local character grounds.
At Wiltshire Community Wind Energy we want wind turbines built in the right place. However we also know that it will be the landscape and local character that will suffer if we do not address climate change. In Wiltshire we must do our bit, even if we find it hard to cope with change, otherwise who else can we really blame?
Wind Energy Week It's wind energy week from 13 to 21 June. For details see the embracewind site
Did you know..... A small wind cluster of say 5 wind turbines could provide the equivalent of half the electricity used in all homes in a typical small town in Wiltshire (e.g. Corsham or Bradford-on-Avon). Now that's a real impact and your community could do it....
Quiet on the Website?? Much of the focus in the last few weeks has been on communicating with landowners and community groups - so there has been less time for the website. However there are lots of discussions going on - and as soon as we have news it will be posted here!
RSPB Call for more wind farms Here at Wiltshire Community Wind Energy we have always felt that wind turbines in the right location was the key to success. The RSPB have indicated in their report that more turbines can be built without harming wildlife. Their report is also discussed by the BBC . It is really positive that the RSPB have made a positive decision. It is all too easy to be green and pretend there is an simple single solution that will please everybody. Hard choices have to be made if we want to keep the lights on and avoid the worst of climate change.
Perhaps some of our local Wiltshire conservation charities (particularly those that own or manage land) could follow the RSPB's lead? We look forward to your call!
Without hot air This is a good book. Written with an entertaining style, Sustainable Energy - without hot air lays out our energy choices, without pretending that there is one easy solution. Worth a read for all those who want to know how we get from here to a sustainable energy future. Web site at www.withouthotair.com
Barack Obama's Inauguration Speech Wind energy even got a mention in Obama's speech:
"We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do."
The Energy Act Some good news is that the Energy Bill has now received royal assent. Why is this important? Among other things it introduces the 'feed-in tariff'. Whilst this will not start until April 2010 at the earliest, small generators of electricity should get a clear and higher price for the electricity they produce. My understanding is that this premium payment will be for generators up to 5MW - which is the equivalent of about 2 or 3 large turbines. Depending on the payment rate this may make single or twin turbines (and even small turbines) much more profitable. This is really important to us as it may help to support smaller projects, ones which currently are not cost effective. However it does depend on what level of support the Government decides, and (of course) this is subject to another round of consultation (yawn). Please see the story in the Guardian Climate Change: UK Takes the Lead
18 Candidate Sites Identified Well done to all those who have been in touch and made suggestions. We now have a short list of sites to investigate further all of which we believe should be windy enough and are not in important landscape areas (AONBs) - so they have passed the first hurdles. Can you help take things forward - get in touch - no experience necessary.
Did You know....old disused airfields often provide a good place for wind turbines - they are usually flat and exposed with few buildings in the area (see the top tips in site selection for more information). At one time or other there were 40 airfields in Wiltshire (some still in use such as Lynham and Boscombe Down) and many of these were used for flying training. (Source: Norman C Parker (1982) Aviation in Wiltshire, a Historical Survey, South Wiltshire Industrial Archaeology Society Historical Monograph 5)
Did You know....evidence exists for 102 windmills in 74 parishes, over a period of 650 year in Wiltshire . The earliest so far known was in the south of the county dated 1248. So wind power is not new in Wiltshire - In fact it is the lack of the use of the wind which is unusual today. (Source: Martin Watts (1980) Wiltshire Windmills published by Wiltshire County Council Library and Museum Service)
Small-scale Wind Energy Thinking about a small-scale wind turbine for a school or on your house? When we talk of small wind turbines this includes 1.75m diameter roof mounted wind turbines to typically 3m - 9m diameter tower mounted turbines. There has been considerable uncertainty about how effective these turbines are - particularly the roof mounted micro turbines. If you are thinking about small wind turbines have a look at this site and new report. This report stresses the importance of location. Get it wrong and your turbine may not offset as much carbon as it took to build it in the first place! (and it will be very expensive). Get it right and it is an environmentally viable cost effective solution.
This report and others studies are indicating that urban sites are often not very effective. We may be able to provide some initial help if you want to know more - please get in touch.
Site Scoping One of our first activities is a scoping exercise to try and identify potential sites. The group is preparing a 'geographic information system' (GIS) model of the county. Initial work has identified some key issues such as airfields (wind turbines are tall structures and can impact on airfields and radar). Work is ongoing to improve our knowledge of this issue. We are now in the position to be able to give some basic information for all areas of Wiltshire - but more work is needed. If you would like some initial information from the GIS model, drop us a line.
An example output from the GIS model is available here, with an introduction to what is shown provided here. It is still very early days but hopefully you can see where it is going.
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Meeting News 20 February 2010 Thank you to members of the group which came to the meeting on the 16th February. Minutes are available on request. We are getting a steady stream of opportunities, including some we wish we could give details of but cannot quite yet. The next meeting is likely to be in mid April - possibly the 13th although this has not yet been confirmed, and will include the AGM. Because of the geographic extent of the group we are considering telephone or possibly internet conferencing for future meetings. If you have any experience of this please get in touch. This will probably not be available for the April meeting but perhaps the one after.
30 January 2010 The next meeting of Wiltshire Community Wind Energy is on the 16th February in Trowbridge. Please see the Agenda for details. We welcome any new members who would like to come along - there may be pancakes!
21 January 2010 Happy New Year. The next meeting of Wiltshire Community Wind Energy is likely to be on the 16th February in Trowbridge. This date has yet to be finalised but please let us know very soon if you would like to suggest an alternative date (or venue).
19 December 2009 Here at Wiltshire Community Wind Energy we would like to wish all our supporters and web site visitors a merry Christmas and a happy new year. Despite the failure at Copenhagen there are still signs of hope. One of the frustrations of 2009 is not being able to tell you about all the good things that are happening regarding wind energy in the county (because many of the opportunities are still at an early(ish) stage) - but expect to see some news in the spring next year!
21 November 2009 A small but useful meeting was held on the 17th. The meeting date was moved fairly late in the day, due to a variety of reasons -see the Action News column for one of the reasons! The next meeting will be in January, but please keep in touch over the festive season.
8 November 2009 The next meeting is confirmed as the 17th November in Salisbury. Details are available here. We look forward to seeing you.
Thank you to all those that are working hard locally on individual opportunities. If you know of someone who may be interested in wind power on their land - we would be keen to know, so please get in touch.
4 November 2009 The date for the next meeting is likely to be the 17th or possibly the 24th November. Please let us know in the next two days if you have any preference. The meeting date has recently had to be moved due to other conflicting meetings. It is sensible to have these other meetings first prior to our regular group meeting.
If you have emailed recently there have been a few problems with our ISP which has delayed emails. This we are told will be resolved in the next few hours. Fingers crossed.
For the record October 2009 was the busiest month on the web site in terms of page requests since the group started last year!
30 September 2009 Thanks to all those that came to the meeting in Trowbridge on Tuesday 22nd, lots of interest and potential. We have received a number of enquires by email in the last few days - so apologies if we are taking some time to get back to you.
If you are new to the site do not hesitate to get in touch, we are always looking for new members - no experience necessary! Please see the contacts page.
19 September 2009 Here is the Agenda for this Tuesday's meeting (22nd September). We would be pleased to see you - so why not come along?
12 September 2009 The next meeting is confirmed for 7pm 22nd September in Trowbridge. Please come along to help ensure that this is not the age of stupid !
3 September 2009 It looks like our next meeting will be on 22 September in Trowbridge. In the meantime why not look at the report on the group in the Salisbury Journal.
1 August 2009 One of the frustrating things being in this group is that there is a lot going on - but much of it is at an early stage and we can't discuss it! If you would like to know more about how we are doing and how you can help please get in touch.
1 July 2009 Thanks to all those that came to the meeting on the 30th June - I think it was the largest meeting we have had, with members from Malmesbury to Salisbury - lots to do....
25 June 2009 The next meeting is next Tuesday, the 30th June in Chippenham. Why not come along? Please see the Agenda here
16 June 2009 The next meeting is on the 30th June in Chippenham. Details of venue and Agenda will be available soon. We look forward to seeing you.
31 May 2009 The next meeting is likely to be on the 30th June in Chippenham. We are just finalising details. This will be a busy meeting with feedback from many 'site champions' in the group. If you have some time why not get involved? NO experience necessary!
25 April 2009 The AGM last Tuesday was a success, many thanks to all those that came. Some of the highlights include:
Further details of the meeting are available here . If you would like to get involved looking at potential wind farm sites, please get in touch - no experience necessary! We are looking for new members. The only requirement is the belief that we can do something in the face of future climate change.
15 April 2009 The Agenda for the AGM is available here. We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday 21st April in Salisbury. If you are able to come please confirm your attendance by email , so that we have an idea of numbers (if you have not done so already) Thanks
18 March 2009 The group AGM will be held on Tuesday 21st April in Salisbury. The Agenda will be out soon. We will be arranging lift shares for those coming down to Salisbury from the north of the county. The AGM 'process' bit of the meeting is important but will be short! There will also be updates on progress and how we take the opportunities forward. For further details please contact info@wiltshirewind.org.uk .
We are aiming to confirm numbers as soon as possible - so if you would like to come please let us know! The meeting is open to all - even if you have not been to any of the meetings before - but if you are thinking of coming please get in touch.
24 February 2009 Provisionally the group AGM will be on Tuesday 21st April. We are finalising the details and will be in touch again soon - but please add to your diary. There is lots of exciting news from the committee meeting held on the 17th February. Please watch this space.......
17 January 2009 If you would like to get involved in the running of the group we would like to hear from you. We will be having a meeting of those who want to get more involved in the running of the group (including the 'site champions' discussed below) in the next couple of weeks. If you want to come along let us know - see the contacts page for how to get in touch.
21 December 2008 Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Thank you for coming to this website over the last few months! A very big thank you for all those who have come to meetings, called or emailed. We now have a good core of people involved from all over the county. 2009 should be an exciting year as we aim to talk to landowners and start to bring sites forward. Remember that if you are an individual, landowner or community group who would like to get involved we want to speak with you!
Have a great Christmas
Jack Mason
1 December 2008 Any more SITE CHAMPIONS out there? Thanks to all those that have shown an interest so far, we will be in touch soon to discuss what we need to do. Most of it is just being a local contact which holds all the details - so hopefully not too much work! We could particularly do with one more person in the Salisbury area, one situated north of the M4 and perhaps one near Salisbury Plain.
The next meeting is likely to be mid-January probably in Trowbridge. This will be a really important meeting as we aim to formalise the group so that we able to work effectively, and we can formally agree our approach in landowner discussions etc. We want to set up lifts so that people can get from Salisbury and north of the county. Can you help? This will be the groups first AGM so be there if you can!
18 November 2008 Thanks to all the hard work at the meeting on the 29th October and numerous calls, emails and other suggestions the group has identified 18 candidate sites in Wiltshire all across the county. We are now looking for SITE CHAMPIONS to take the work forward. We will be preparing a briefing note on what is involved but really you just need to be keen and have a bit of time to do some local investigations - you don't need to be an expert. Can you help? Please get in touch!
As we enter this new stage we need to put the group on a more formal footing. We are looking for volunteers to help with the organisation. We are aiming to minimise this aspect, but to work efficiently some structure and formal status is now important. We will be having a meeting soon with those keen to help either as site champions or in the management of the group.
4 November 2008 Thank you to all those that came to the meeting last week. Further updates soon!
25 October 2008 We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday (29th) at the next meeting at the United Reformed Church, 30 Fisherton Street, Salisbury SP2 7RG starting at 7pm. The location is shown here. We are going to look at potential sites across the county and hopefully produce a list for further investigation.
It is a public meeting so come along. We have produced site identification top tips and the form we aim to use at the meeting to summarise the work.
Please get in touch if you want any further information, or if we can help with travel.
12 October 2008 The next meeting of the group will be held on Wednesday 29th October in Salisbury. The venue will be the United Reformed Church, 30 Fisherton Street, Salisbury SP2 7RG. Further details of the meeting will be provided here soon!
27 September 2008 We are finalising the date for the next meeting - apologies for the delay - September has been a busy month in more ways than one. The aim of the meeting will be to start to consider possible areas for wind turbines, and to consider how we can help other local groups in Wiltshire. There are many initiatives all over the county. If you are from one of these groups please get in touch - you will have many willing helpers with a variety of skills and experience.
25 August 2008 Lots going on at the moment - a number of organisations and individuals have got in touch recently with some interesting and positive opportunities. Thinking of a small wind turbine for your house/ farm/school? Have a look at the Action News to the left on this page.
We also have a better idea of the aviation issues in Wiltshire - it was an area we knew only limited information about. If you want to know more please get in touch |
