WCE Director Colin PalmerThe biggest transfer of community energy assets ever in the UK has been completed, with solar farms with a collective capacity of 36MWp going into community ownership, including 1 right here on the Isle of Wight. The transfer sees 5 community businesses across England and Wales take ownership of solar farms generating enough energy to power almost 13,000 homes, with expectations that this will provide over £20 million in forecast community benefit funding from surplus revenues. Community benefit funding will be used to support local programmes addressing important issues such as homelessness, food and fuel poverty, education and climate action while supporting the UK’s transition to net zero. The 5 community businesses have formed a partnership called Community Energy Together (CET), and between them have taken ownership of 8 solar farms. Amongst them is Wight Community Energy (WCE), a community benefit society set up in 2015 to deliver community-owned renewable energy and low-carbon projects on the Isle of Wight. WCE has had assets under ownership since its inception and expects to invest £2million locally across the lifetime of the projects, with profits already being channelled into organisations like The Footprint Trust that combat fuel poverty and Keert, who provide cheaper low-carbon post-delivery options for people on the Island. The handover is the culmination of a process by which the groups have taken ownership of solar assets in their community. The deal has been facilitated by Community Owned Renewable Energy (CORE), a partnership between the UK’s leading social impact investor Big Society Capital and Power to Change an independent trust that shapes the conditions for community business to thrive. Colin Palmer, Wight Community Energy Director, says:
“As a community organisation we have to generate revenue to make a social impact. We have high levels of fuel poverty on the Isle of Wight – the revenue we generate from our solar farm can be used to help people tackle this problem, as well as supporting schemes like Keert which uses bikes for ultra-low emission home deliveries – and also to support us in lobbying for increased access for green energy generation on the island.”
Well yes this is all very well but such a shame about the very large blot on the landscape.. let’s face it..they are awful.. if all of these panels were installed on people’s roofs then surely they would blend better.
All human habitations and other built structures are a blot on the natural landscape. Take them all down and relocate all of the humans underground to make the landscape look nicer.
Have to agree with Slippin Jim. These are at least neat and tidy and they do a good job of utilising the Sun’s energy which is a limitless resource given we all die when it burns out. Have to admit green isn’t my favourite colour so I’m not at all worried to have fields of solar panels instead of vast swathes of useless grass.
Man of Tin
2 years ago
We should be growing food on fields not this ugly net zero rubbish
Fields should be used for growing food there isn’t enough agriculture land now to feed the nation we will all eventually starve to death what if other countries stopped sending food supplies over to us they wouldn’t need bombs and bullets just wait and starve us all no Fields should be kept to feed our nation
Joe Bloggs
2 years ago
Think of all the carbon being produced importing the food crops which could have been grown on the land taken up with those solar panels.
Think of all the land going to waste not growing food in this country because it is owned by dumb, wealthy twits. Think of all the people who subsist almost exclusively on a diet of pizza. Think of all the people who want to eat exotic fruit and veg all year round. Think of all the animals that have been made extinct because of pollution, land exploitation, and “human progress”. Think of what the future will be like if we don’t start living sustainably as quickly as possible.
A U.S chap who claims to be a philanthropist is buying
up all the farms in America so he won’t go without meat,
but this UNELECTED person wants us all to eat insects.
He also loves people having experimental V accines!
Don’t be lazy and do you own research. It’s not difficult. Even Google will tell you who is the largest farmland own in the USA. But what it won’t tell you ,the same person shuts his new farms down because he has invested millions in laboratories that grow meat in the lab, for sale at a shop near you. He use to own Microsoft, there you are its a glue.
Its widely reported just have a google, another Bond villain buddy of his is busy trying to buyup an Hawaiian Island. They think they will be safe in their compounds or underground lairs..
Don’t tell the truth there my friend, or your get called a tin foil hat wearer, like slipping Jim did to me for telling the truth! But then Iike I said, you can’t fix stupid.
I have to wonder why you think food would have been grown on the land that has panels instead of the vast number of fields that we see laying dormant and just covered in grass. You obviously know something most of us don’t – please share.
martin
2 years ago
“ We have high levels of fuel poverty on the Isle of Wight – the revenue we generate from our solar farm can be used to help people tackle this problem, “
HOW???? I can’t afford my fuel bills, how will you help me?
Basically it won’t. Just another fake community help label, most of it will be pilfered off to directors bonuses, most likely.
Roland Butter
2 years ago
Beware eco claims of ‘capacity’ because these never bear any resemblance to actual production – a bit like inviting 100 paying guests round for dinner because your fridge has a capacity to hold 200lbs of food, though when you open the door you realize it has never held more than 20lbs so everyone has to make do with 80% less whilst you still charge them the same price for a proper dinner
Slippin' Jim
2 years ago
All looks good until the mention of the Footprint Trust, which only seems to hand out leaflets on how to insulate your home, and Keert, which delivers from free food pantries by electric bike. The island needs to do better to move towards sustainability. We need more community gardening projects producing food. The problem of low heat pump uptake also needs to be solved. There are no respectable businesses installing heat pumps on the island.
That’s because heat pumps in old homes don’t work very well unless you do a lot of work to the existing house which costs a lot of money, no one’s fitting them they are a con!!
Heat pumps are not the answer my friend, unless you live in one of these new polystyrene box’s. We should have kept our coal mines open, and maintained the gas tanks. Just in-time buying from the cheapest supplier is not a good long term solution, as the public are starting to discover with Supermarkets.
Adam
2 years ago
What a fcuking eyesore, as with all of these “green” initiatives there is probably no net benefit once you add in the pollution increase in places like China where this sh1t gets produced. The best Green initiatives in my opinion would be build stuff to last and be repairable, subsidise public transport so its reliable often and cheap and you would see a benefit. But there is no profit for the FatCats and politicians
Well yes this is all very well but such a shame about the very large blot on the landscape.. let’s face it..they are awful.. if all of these panels were installed on people’s roofs then surely they would blend better.
All human habitations and other built structures are a blot on the natural landscape. Take them all down and relocate all of the humans underground to make the landscape look nicer.
Have to agree with Slippin Jim. These are at least neat and tidy and they do a good job of utilising the Sun’s energy which is a limitless resource given we all die when it burns out. Have to admit green isn’t my favourite colour so I’m not at all worried to have fields of solar panels instead of vast swathes of useless grass.
We should be growing food on fields not this ugly net zero rubbish
The climate hoax is all part of their evil plan.
But we are not – we are paying farmers not to grow food – go figure !
Fields should be used for growing food there isn’t enough agriculture land now to feed the nation we will all eventually starve to death what if other countries stopped sending food supplies over to us they wouldn’t need bombs and bullets just wait and starve us all no Fields should be kept to feed our nation
Think of all the carbon being produced importing the food crops which could have been grown on the land taken up with those solar panels.
Think of all the land going to waste not growing food in this country because it is owned by dumb, wealthy twits. Think of all the people who subsist almost exclusively on a diet of pizza. Think of all the people who want to eat exotic fruit and veg all year round. Think of all the animals that have been made extinct because of pollution, land exploitation, and “human progress”. Think of what the future will be like if we don’t start living sustainably as quickly as possible.
A U.S chap who claims to be a philanthropist is buying
up all the farms in America so he won’t go without meat,
but this UNELECTED person wants us all to eat insects.
He also loves people having experimental V accines!
Care to cite your sources for your claims?
Don’t be lazy and do you own research. It’s not difficult. Even Google will tell you who is the largest farmland own in the USA. But what it won’t tell you ,the same person shuts his new farms down because he has invested millions in laboratories that grow meat in the lab, for sale at a shop near you. He use to own Microsoft, there you are its a glue.
Its widely reported just have a google, another Bond villain buddy of his is busy trying to buyup an Hawaiian Island. They think they will be safe in their compounds or underground lairs..
Don’t tell the truth there my friend, or your get called a tin foil hat wearer, like slipping Jim did to me for telling the truth! But then Iike I said, you can’t fix stupid.
You are just a bunch of dumb people who want to “believe” ludicrous lies because it make you feel special. Sad really. The Internet is full crap.
I have to wonder why you think food would have been grown on the land that has panels instead of the vast number of fields that we see laying dormant and just covered in grass. You obviously know something most of us don’t – please share.
“ We have high levels of fuel poverty on the Isle of Wight – the revenue we generate from our solar farm can be used to help people tackle this problem, “
HOW???? I can’t afford my fuel bills, how will you help me?
Basically it won’t. Just another fake community help label, most of it will be pilfered off to directors bonuses, most likely.
Beware eco claims of ‘capacity’ because these never bear any resemblance to actual production – a bit like inviting 100 paying guests round for dinner because your fridge has a capacity to hold 200lbs of food, though when you open the door you realize it has never held more than 20lbs so everyone has to make do with 80% less whilst you still charge them the same price for a proper dinner
All looks good until the mention of the Footprint Trust, which only seems to hand out leaflets on how to insulate your home, and Keert, which delivers from free food pantries by electric bike. The island needs to do better to move towards sustainability. We need more community gardening projects producing food. The problem of low heat pump uptake also needs to be solved. There are no respectable businesses installing heat pumps on the island.
That’s because heat pumps in old homes don’t work very well unless you do a lot of work to the existing house which costs a lot of money, no one’s fitting them they are a con!!
You have absolutely no idea how a heat pump works. They are getting better all the time and are cheaper to run.
Heat pumps are not the answer my friend, unless you live in one of these new polystyrene box’s. We should have kept our coal mines open, and maintained the gas tanks. Just in-time buying from the cheapest supplier is not a good long term solution, as the public are starting to discover with Supermarkets.
What a fcuking eyesore, as with all of these “green” initiatives there is probably no net benefit once you add in the pollution increase in places like China where this sh1t gets produced. The best Green initiatives in my opinion would be build stuff to last and be repairable, subsidise public transport so its reliable often and cheap and you would see a benefit. But there is no profit for the FatCats and politicians