New Community Energy Projects in and around Sheffield: A Call to Action!

A guest blog by Karine Nohr

Following on from the Telegraph article “Want to make your Home Cosy?“, regarding a project at ‘Our Cow Molly’, the article highlighted the concept of Community Energy schemes. The climate and environmental crisis means that not only do we need to reduce the amount of energy that we consume (which implies radical changes), but we also need to decarbonise and move away from energy that comes from fossil fuels (mainly coal, gas and oil). Community energy schemes are a way in which we, ordinary people, can start to have agency over our energy production and use. 

As we undertake the transition to net zero, there is an urgent need to increase our renewable energy supply. This has to be addressed at every level, from global to national to local. In our current political climate, it can be easy to feel that there is nothing that we can do. But when it comes to community development, there is much that can be done and there are projects springing up around us.  At a time when many feel that, despite living in an apparent democracy,  we have little control over our lives and even less control over our power, community energy projects invite us to have that agency. It becomes an important strand of building our community in a direction that we choose, and share and use a resource as the community decides.

In the days of coal, South Yorkshire was a net exporter of energy. Now we are a net importer of energy and it costs us about £15 billion per year. Imagine if we could bring that money back into our local economy. This is another reason that community energy projects are so important. 

Community energy projects started to run in the UK about 50 years ago and have increased in number by 20% in the last 3 years alone, providing power to hundreds of thousands of homes and other buildings. They are exactly what they say on the tin:  projects which have community involvement with the aim of reducing energy demand or creating green energy. This has been done with hydropower, wind turbines, solar power and insulation. 

Partnerships between these projects and universities, private investors, mayoral authorities, and companies have seen a multitude of different models start to be developed. Another example, ‘Energise Barnsley’ is the biggest community energy project in the UK. In partnership with Barnsley Council, this social enterprise has delivered solar energy to hundreds of vulnerable households (many of which were suffering from fuel poverty) and reduced their energy bills. 

It has raised millions of pounds through its Bond issue. In addition to providing free energy to people, it dedicates all its surplus profits to the Community Fund. This has then been able to support community projects that have included a charity distributing surplus food,  a bowling club, the setting up of a credit union, a bed-planting team for neglected streets,  healthy cooking and healthy eating classes, Age UK Barnsley, a primary school and more. 

 A recent article in this column highlighted some of the community projects going on in Sheffield, such as Sheffield Renewables, run by volunteers, which owns and operates renewable energy schemes across Sheffield and South Yorkshire. Their solar energy projects in and around Sheffield include a primary school at Swinton, Attercliffe Police Station, Lembas Wholefoods at Heeley, High Green Development Trust and Five Rivers co-housing at Wisewood. These have generated over 1.5 million kilowatt hours of energy. 

Setting up a community energy project need not be as daunting as it sounds. If you and your neighbours would like to explore how to do this, such as for your local school, or for a community centre, or for a row of terraces, there is plenty of support and advice available, from Sheffield Community Energy, and much information and leaflets can be found here. 

You might start a local Whats App Group with other interested friends and neighbours or school parents; a school project can be an excellent first project and thousands of school energy projects have already been successful. There are numerous support organisations that can take out some or all of the strain of managing and funding a project such as this. The other advantage of a school energy project is it can build on a community that already exists and has established interpersonal links. A project such as this can naturally become part of expanding education about climate change and sustainability, for both the pupils, the teachers, the parents and the surrounding community.  Surplus funds can be used to support other community activities as chosen by the Project, as do ‘Energise Barnsley’. It sounds like a win-win to me.  It would be so great if your street, local school, community space,  place of worship,  sports club or place of work was supported with renewable energy, cutting costs, cutting their carbon budget and contributing to what we all need to be doing in coming to the table, for this worsening environmental crisis,  for our planet, our people and our ecosystems.

Find out more

Sheffield Community Energy Advice

Energise Barnsley in Now Then Magazine

Useful websites for setting up a project

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