Comparing Case Studies of Community Energy Projects

1. Comparing Case Studies of Community Energy Projects Energising Communities Workshop Oxford, June 2006

2. Case Study Objectives • To understand how and why projects are initiated and developed • To assess how ‘community’ is interpreted and enacted within projects • To examine how participants conceive the outcomes of projects and the extent to which these outcomes are being achieved

3. Case Study 1: Llandwddyn • Location: Montgomeryshire, Wales • Technology: Wood fuelled local heating network; school & community centre, 19 local houses • Cost: £375,000 • Programme: Community Energy (EST) Llanwddyn

4. Case Study 2: Moel Moelogan • Location: North Wales • Technology: 2 x 1.3MW turbines; followed by a further 9, grid connected • Cost: £2.6 Million (phase 1) • Programme: Ashden Awards Moel Moelogan

5. Case Study 3: Bro Dyfi • Location: Dyfi Valley, Mid Wales • Technology: 75kw wind turbine (grid connection in place) • Budget: £83,555 • Programme: Baywind, REIC Bro Dyfi

6. Case Study 4: Kielder • Location: Northumberland • Technology: Biomass local heat network; school, youth hostel, 6 houses, workshops, Castle • Budget: £630,000 • Programme: Clear Skies, EST, CRI Kielder

7. Case Study 5: Falstone • Location: Northumberland • Technology: Solar photovoltaic (grid connected) and biomass boiler; tea rooms, shop, interpretation centre • Budget: £175,000 • Programme: CRI, Clear Skies, EST Falstone

8. Case Study 6: Gamblesby • Location: Cumbria • Technology: Ground Source Heat Pump for renovated village hall. Followed by 6kW wind charger. • Budget: £42,100 (GSHP and renovation) • Programme: CRI Gamblesby

9. Case Study Selection and Methods • Selection • all involve ‘successful’ technology installation • including involvement of local people (in some form) • Methods • Regional interviews (15) • Local interviews with those most directly involved (41) • Questionnaire survey of all local households within settlement area (205 total)

10. Similarities • Importance of individuals – initial idea, commitment, skills • Profile of multiple outcomes - environmental, economic, social • Stress on local benefits • Complex financial packages – and finance problems of various forms (timings, amounts, restrictions) • Need for advice, expertise (although from different sources) • Need for support from key local institutions, particularly local authorities/regeneration agencies • Energy efficiency also included (directly or indirectly)

11. Differences • Primary purpose (although all but one problem focused) • Scale (physical, time, energy, cost) • Technologies and form/function of energy generation • Leadership/management arrangements • Partnerships and alliances (formal, informal) • Extent of reliance on, involvement with central government community RE programmes • Ownership arrangements • Levels of direct involvement and contribution of local people • Distribution of benefits and outcomes (local, collective) • Degrees of local support/opposition • Extent of technology and installation problems

12. Ownership Models Kielder Falstone • community company • Tyndale Council then transferred to Kielder Community Enterprises Limited the trading arm of charity Kielder Limited • public body owning existing property • old school buildings purchased by National Park Authority • existing community organisation owning building • Village Hall Committee (registered charity) • private ownership by local entrepreneurs • local farmers • energy services company (ESCO) • DULAS install and operate, contracted by Powys County Council • cooperative • unincorporated association with 59 shareholders Gamblesby Moel Moelogan Llanwddyn Bro Dyfi

13. Involvement and contribution of local people Q1 Have you been involved in any way? Q2 Have you made any direct contribution to the project?

14. ‘attended meetings- painted hall as a member of a group- donated money in lieu of silver wedding’ Gamblesby resident, response on questionnaire to ‘how have you been involved’

15. I am in favour of the project

16. 1. How and why are projects initiated and developed? • No one simple answer ….. • Individuals in localities and roles are important.. • for ideas, skills, providing impetus – both within communities and partner institutions • BUT institutions and policies are important too.. • individuals need and respond to the strategic opportunities & openings that institutional agendas and initiatives provide (govn and non-govn) • .. as is, the particular context of time and place • problems to be solved, and opportunities to do so

17. ‘8 years ago our farming was taking a dive, I thought I needed to diversify and looked to what we can do and there’s not much you can do up here. I thought of everything-dry ski slopes and anything, but the obvious one was wind and it made perfect sense for the tops of hills. And there was lots of talk in the paper at the time that this global warming thing might be a reality and renewable energy was about to explode and it sounded like a good time.’ ‘I knew there was a European grant for farmers even thought it hadn’t been used for wind before, it was there as potential. The whole feeling of it sounded just what the government wanted to happen. They wanted more renewable energy, they wanted farmers to diversify and get together and work together. It had never been done and we didn’t know how we would do it ourselves but we just found out step by step’. Moel Moelogan, Project Developer

18. connections to regeneration and rural development, and associated funding, are often crucial …

19. Llanwddyn Biomass DH • Idea from Vrnwy Forum a local residents group. • - to boost local economy through using local wood plus • - replace aged heating system for school • improve heating of local housing (mainly owned by Severn Trent) • reduce fuel poverty • Capital Funding • ERDF (30.5%) Welsh Assembly Government via Powys County Council (43.5%) Community Energy Programme (12.5%) Welsh Development Agency (13%) Llanwddyn

20. Kielder • Kielder Biomass DH • Idea for biomass heating network from Jan Ashdown resident in nearby village. • Supporting local forestry • Regenerating declining village • Tourism as part of renewable energy trail • Demonstration project

21. Falstone Biomass and solar Local people approached the community development officer when village shop in old school buildings closed. National Park Authority developed RE aspects with architects. Sustaining community facilities Attracting visitors Jobs for local people Demonstration sustainability project Falstone

22. Bro Dyfi Wind Turbine Idea from local person Vickey Leaney previously involved with Baywind and Dulas - Demonstrate potential for community development and ownership of RE project - Income for Community Energy Fund to fund local energy initiatives Bro Dyfi

23. Putting together the funding package …. and getting good advice (from various sources) to develop a feasible project and problem solve throughout are important in each case study ‘With the hassle we had with the objectors, they helped us a lot, we wouldn’t have been able to cope without them. ..financially and advice as well. Its good to have them, to bounce ideas off them and we bounced suggestions off each other. We had a lot of problems along the way but we came though it…advice which way to go. In the beginning we went in the wrong way and we needed to be pointed in the right direction. There’s a lot of sharks out there.’ Moel Moelogan, Project Developer

24. 2. How is ‘community’ interpreted and enacted? Well …. its not very straightforward!!

25. What does community mean to you? ‘people who are willing to support and work for the common welfare and good’ ‘where people live together in harmony with different cultures and interests, but with a strong feeling of trust and respect for one another’ ‘a place where you live and raise your family amongst friends and people you know’

26. What does community mean to you? ‘people of the village and surrounding area who live and work in the area and are involved in things that go on in the area. Not people who buy houses and use them 1 or 2 weekends a month and keep themselves to themselves’ ‘nothing now, as most people are too self centred’ ‘bunch of nosey people slagging each other off behind their backs’

27. Debating community at Moel Moelogan ‘And when is a community project a community project? You know, this is 3 men who have set up a limited company and yet they give it these buzz words, they use words like community and sustainability and they press particular buttons don’t they?’ Moel Moelogan, member of opposition group ‘Clearly there’s a substantial difference between a community project that does support the community and one that is owned by the community. I don’t think it’s a worry that they sit side by side, I think it’s a good thing …. The problem is that it does raise these issues of local jealousies, rivalries, whereas the community projects perhaps as the text book lays it out is meant to take care of that through consultation and people being involved in it in the true sense of ownership.’ Conwy Energy Agency ‘One of the main factors which kept cropping up was that the project was run by local people. Even though its not a community project as such, the benefit was going to stay in the area, rather than being developed by a large multinational company where the profits all go out of the area? County Councillor

28. two key dimensions are seen as making projects in some way ‘community’ • process: how the project is developed and run, who is involved and has influence • outcome: how the project outcomes are distributed, who benefits

29. The PROCESS dimension of RE projects who is involved and has influence The process of developing and running a project is closed, distantandinstitutional (public or private) The process of developing and running a project is open, localand participatory

30. The OUTCOME dimension of RE projects who benefits? The beneficial outcomes of a project are distantandprivate The beneficial outcomes of a project are local, shared/collective

31. PROCESS Open, local, participatory Distant, private Local, collective OUTCOMES Closed, distant, institutional

32. PROCESS Open, local, participatory Gamblesby Bro Dyfi Moel Moelogan Distant, private Local, collective Falstone Llanwdynn OUTCOMES Kielder Utility wind farm Closed, distant, institutional

33. PROCESS Open, local, participatory Gamblesby Bro Dyfi Moel Moelogan Distant, private Local, collective Falstone Llanwdynn OUTCOMES Kielder Utility wind farm Closed, distant, institutional

34. PROCESS Open, local, participatory Gamblesby Moel Moelogan Bro Dyfi Distant, private Local, collective Falstone Llanwdynn OUTCOMES Kielder Utility wind farm Closed, distant, institutional

35. PROCESS Open, local, participatory Gamblesby Bro Dyfi Moel Moelogan Distant, private Local, collective Falstone Llanwdynn OUTCOMES Kielder Utility wind farm Closed, distant, institutional

36. Multiple Components of Process

37. PROCESS Community Renewables? Open, local, participatory Gamblesby Bro Dyfi Moel Moelogan Distant, private Local, collective Falstone Llanwdynn OUTCOMES Kielder Utility wind farm Closed, distant, institutional

38. PROCESS Community Renewables? Open, local, participatory Gamblesby Bro Dyfi Moel Moelogan Distant, private Local, collective Falstone Llanwdynn OUTCOMES Kielder Utility wind farm Closed, distant, institutional

39. PROCESS Open, local, participatory Community Renewables? Gamblesby Bro Dyfi Moel Moelogan Distant, private Local, collective Falstone Llanwdynn OUTCOMES Kielder Utility wind farm Closed, distant, institutional

40. PROCESS Open, local, participatory Community Renewables? Gamblesby Bro Dyfi Moel Moelogan Distant, private Local, collective Falstone Llanwdynn OUTCOMES Kielder Utility wind farm Closed, distant, institutional

41. what counts as ‘community’ is flexibly defined; on the ground as well as by funding/support programmes. This reflects: • what is locally appropriate and possible • diverse motivations and drivers • how using a community approach fits with agenda of important institutions and funders • the extent to which there are already cohesive, connected and trusting relationships between local people and reflected in community groups

42. within small rural settlements (where most community RE is happening) there is some scope for a cohesive, inclusive and cooperative community to be mobilised, but: • they are in reality, rarely found, and may be illusory • innovation with RET may not be embraced, or be appropriate (to time and place) • there are social fractures, exclusivities and conflicts within all places • processes have dynamics and relationships/positions can change over time • processes of public consultation and participation can be evaluated and represented in different ways • adopting a community approach, or using a community label, cannot guarantee wholesale local acceptance and support ………

43. The project has brought the community together

44. ‘The vast majority of the community were either pro wind mill or ambivalent. There was a small section who were very keen, a huge number who didn’t mind one way or another and a small minority who were against it.’ ‘And then the next thing was they made application for a further 15…and it became apparent that this wasn’t a community project…the 3 was a Trojan horse… this project was sold to the community as a community project and then it became clear that it was nothing of the sort and a lot of sympathy went from them from the town and certainly the villages around.’ ‘they played on the thing that farming was going backwards, with BSE and foot and mouth. But they were the biggest farmers around here. If they were in difficulty finding enough cash to bring up their families, what about the rest that were farming on far less acreage? And people from outside seemed to swallow that idea…following thatwhen they had planning permission to plant 3 of them they immediately sold one off to a German company. So what they told us they needed 3 for their own use to supplement farming was complete bullshit.

45. ‘It seems that there was an unofficial meeting for the antis in one of the local pubs. They chose the wrong night for a start. They chose a Friday night when the locals go for a drink. And one of the locals was there. These antis, they are people who’ve made their pile elsewhere and then they’ve half retired into the area, hence the reason for the high prices of the properties. This chappy turns to one of the locals who’s sat there with his pint and he says ‘the value of our properties is going to go down to half in this area, what do you think? The local replied ‘well it’ll make it bloody affordable for us won’t it’.’ ‘They are outsiders. Be careful how you word that because they came to live in this district, they weren’t born and bred here, the 3 farmers. We are born and bred here’.

46. 3. What outcomes are conceived and achieved? • Range of outcomes within project objectives • Distributed in different patterns Income Cheaper heat/electricity More reliable energy Jobs (short/longer term) More useable buildings Social facilities Funds for community use Reduced pollution ……… and more Project team/developers Investors (local/distant) Users of local buildings Rest of local population Rest of wider society ‘The environment’

47. A lot of positive outcomes recognised by local people; most frequently: • Llanwdynn - economic • Moel Moelogan – environmental, regeneration • Bro Dyfi - environmental • Kielder – economic, environmental • Falstone - economic • Gamblesby – social identity • Negative outcomes also feature • Moel Moelogan most significantly (env impacts and social cohesion) • Llanwdynn and Kielder to lesser degree (technology problems and intrusion)

48. In addition to local social and economic outcomes, learning processes of various forms are widely claimed: • from project to project -visits, presentations, resources, contractors etc… • from project to local people - understanding, support for RET, micro-adoption, green lifestyles • but evidence not clear • problems of ‘measurement’ - anecdotal rather than systematic • Key policy issue given small energy generation and carbon reduction usually involved

49. I understand more about renewable energy as a result of this project I feel more positive about renewable energy as a result of this project

50. I am more aware of climate change as a result of this project I think projects like this should be set up in other places as well