WHAT IS COMMUNITY ENERGY?
Have you heard of communities clubbing together to support a local pub, or post office? Well we are doing the same here in Overton. We have set up a community-owned enterprise to bring more renewable energy to Overton and to raise funds for local projects.
The model is really simple. We crowdfund and club together - through investing in" community shares". We use that money to buy and install solar panels on the rooftops of local buildings. We sell the energy to the building owner, helping them decarbonise, and reducing Overton's carbon footprint.
Here's Claire to tell you more...
DO WE NEED IT?
In response to the climate crisis, each parish needs to find ways to decarbonise. This decentralisation of energy means that local people can own their own energy, have renewable energy, and earn money for a community fund.
This will help advance community energy-saving initiatives in the parish, so that we can do our bit to fight for climate change and prepare ourselves for the future. We are the first group in Hampshire to get a project off the ground(we are a split study), following in the footsteps of other counties in the UK. Currently, only 1.8% of Hampshire energy is renewable.
HOW DOES THE COMMUNITY BENEFIT?
One of the main benefits of community energy is to be able to plough the profits made back to to the community. We hope to be able to contribute towards renewable projects in the local area and support community climate change initiatives.
Examples of this might be - purchasing a thermal imaging camera and providing a service to householders to advise them on heat loss. Or we might finance simple solutions to heat loss such as insulation, pipe insulation, door sausages etc.
DO YOU HAVE A GREAT IDEA FOR THE COMMUNITY FUND?
Brilliant! Tell us about it. We want to prioritise energy-related projects to support our aim of becoming a carbon-neutral village. All ideas are welcome at this stage. Why not drop us an email?