Energised communities?: meanings, motivations and lessons learnt Gordon Walker Lancaster University.

Energised communities?: meanings, motivations and

lessons learnt Gordon Walker

Lancaster University

ESRC funded Project “Community Energy Initiatives: embedding

sustainable technologies at a local level”

De Montfort, Northumbria and Lancaster Universities: reviews of activity UK-wide, 6 case studies

PhD Studentships Community renewable energy in South Korea and Japan

(Yonjoo Jeong) Ownership, landscape and community renewables (Neil

Simcock) Plus multiple student undergrad and masters

dissertations …

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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)

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

Ownership Models 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

Kielder

Falstone

Gamblesby

Bro Dyfi

Llanwddyn

Moel Moelogan

Involvement and contribution of local people

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Llanwddyn MoelMoelogan

Bro Dyfi Kielder Falstone Gamblesby

Proportion of 'Yes' Responses

1 2 Q1 Have you been involved in any way? Q2 Have you made any direct contribution to the project?

‘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’

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4



Mean Value

I am in favour of the project

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

‘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

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

Llanwddyn

Llanwddyn Biomass DHIdea 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 FundingERDF (30.5%) Welsh Assembly Government via Powys County Council (43.5%) Community Energy Programme (12.5%) Welsh Development Agency (13%)

FalstoneFalstone Biomass and solarLocal people approached the community development officer when village shop in old school buildings closed. National Park Authority developed RE aspects with architects.

Sustaining community facilitiesAttracting visitorsJobs for local peopleDemonstration sustainability project

2. How is ‘community’ interpreted?

Well …. its not very straightforward!!

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’

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’

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

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

The process of developing and

running a project is

closed, distant and

institutional (public or private)

The process of developing

and running a project is

open, local and

participatory

The PROCESS dimension of RE projects

who is involved and has influence

The beneficial outcomes of a

project are distant and

private

The beneficial outcomes of a

project are local, shared/

collective

The OUTCOME dimension of RE projects

who benefits?

PROCESS

OUTCOMES

Open, local, participatory

Closed, distant, institutional

Distant, private

Local, collective

PROCESS

OUTCOMES



Distant, private

Local, collectiveFalstone

Gamblesby

Kielder

Llanwdynn

Utility wind farm

Moel Moelogan

Bro Dyfi

PROCESS

OUTCOMES



Distant, private

Local, collectiveFalstone

Gamblesby

Kielder

Bro Dyfi

Llanwdynn

Utility wind farm

Moel Moelogan

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

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 ………

The project has brought the community together

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%



Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

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

9.9%

32.5%30.4%

18.8%

8.4%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

StronglyAgree

Agree Neutral Disagree StronglyDisagree

I understand more about renewable energy as a result of this project

10.0%

27.9%

34.7%

18.4%

8.9%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

StronglyAgree


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

I am more aware of climate change as a result of this project

4.8%

13.2%

40.7%

29.6%

11.6%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

StronglyAgree


25.0%

34.9%

25.0%

6.8%8.3%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

StronglyAgree


I think projects like this should be set up in other places as well

18.9%23.0%

31.6%

11.2%

15.3%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

StronglyAgree


I feel a sense of pride in the project

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%




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

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%




I feel a sense of pride in the project

Concluding Comments These six cases particularly show:

diversity and multi-functionality community RE is not one category; recognising the

many differences and some commonalities is important projects are all time and place dependent and to some

degree opportunistic there are many financial, technical, social challenges wider learning outcomes can be achieved technological innovation is far more than developing ‘kit

that works’ – innovation in social and economic arrangements

Since undertaking the research, policy and support structures have changed, profile of who is involved has evolved, stronger focus on low carbon communities

Concluding Comments But … for every success there are many that fall by the

way side or never get going

“years can tick by with other community projects. Nobody is willing to take the bull by the horn and drive it”

“the problem is that they are such hard work, they are difficult to get off the ground. There’s always the argument that I can probably put in ten times as many cavity walls and lofts in an urban area as I can in a rural area”

“I am very cautious about getting involved in community initiatives because you know that you are going to invest a huge amount of time in it for very little return”

“. if its an affluent area where you’ve got people who are well used to filling in that sort of application form and they have the intelligence to deal with it and follow it through and chase it, then they are the ones who benefit. And you get the poorer communities where maybe they would use it more haven’t got the people within that community who can drive it forward and deliver it and so its not equitable at all”

Energised communities?: meanings, motivations and lessons learnt Gordon Walker Lancaster University.

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