Larkhall Solar Zone bid

The Low Carbon Communities Challenge (LCCC) is a proposal for a joint bid for funds between Transition Larkhall and BaNES Sustainability Department. Read the draught proposal and add your suggestions. It's all up for input at the moment.

Summary
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This project aims to harness existing community enthusiasm and networks of trust. In a nutshell, LCCC funding could provide free installation of PV for houses and the schools, and free energy monitors to encourage energy saving behaviour. These installations would be contingent on the beneficiaries helping to build networks of Neighbourhood Energy Champions (NECs) who can then work on future projects. The success of the project is measured by the number of people in Larkhall that are persuaded to take up free loft and cavity wall insulation.

Why spend the funding on Solar PV panels?
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A 2kwh PV panel saves 1 tonne of CO2 per year.
Money recycling! The Feed-In Tariff is greater for PV energy than any other type of micro-generated energy at the moment, and this money could be paid into a revolving fund to install more energy-saving measures.
The installation of the panels would make Larkhall a very visible example of de-centralised energy generation - they would be a talking point and would be used to encourage more people to take energy saving measures themselves, particularly insulation, since it's going to be free for all BaNES residents.
In addition, the funding has to be spent by April 2010, and panels are quick and easy to install - it can be done by the deadline.

The Revolving Fund - money recycling
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Here are some of the proposed benefits and responsibilities of receiving a solar panel installation.
The Householder/school/community building or housing gets the free energy generated by the panels.
Electricity generated but not used is sold to the grid: The building's electricity meter goes backwards.
The Government Feed-in-Tariff pays 36p per kWh for every kWh of energy generated, whether the householder uses it or not and it is proposed that this money is paid into a revolving fund where it accumulates and can be spent on more community energy-saving measures, for example, more panels, or a feasibility study into a community-owned renewable energy project, or something else.

Building on strong foundations and bringing in other resources. Building community engagement
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Transition Larkhall’s impact in the community would be increased as panel recipients would become Neighbourhood Energy Champions and actively talk to their whole streets about energy saving. Domestic panel recipients will have loft and cavity wall insulation and a monitor and be trained in domestic energy assessing, so that they would be able to talk with authority to people on their streets about the best ways to save money and energy.
In addition, it is proposed that Transition Larkhall would organise social and information-based events, and generate publicity.
Involving the schools and community buildings more in their community:
It is proposed that Schools will become Energy Champions and promote scheme at parents’ evenings and host launch events, and that New Oriel Hall would promote the scheme's message to its users.
This project builds on, and joins up many existing projects within the district, particularly the highly successful Warm Streets programme. Deliverability would be enhanced by our ability to use Warm Streets’ existing administrative and publicity systems. This project could coincide with the introduction of a “Free for Everybody” insulation programme- making it “Free insulation and free solar power for all!!!”

Things to spend LCC funding on
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1. Funding for Domestic Renewables (Solar PV) £200,000 = approx 20 installations at £10,000 each
2. Funding for Schools (Solar PV) £150,000 for PV to offset increased ICT energy use.
3. Funding for New Oriel Hall panels: £100, 000
3. £46,000 Project management costs to cover fund admin time to establish the revolving fund, also trainings for NECs and Transition Larkhall on how to run the programme.
4. Energy Monitors: £4,000 for 200 energy monitors to be distributed by Transition Larkhall who will encourage monitoring on the BaNES website to track carbon savings.

Admin and Money management
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The Revolving Fund management would be put out to tender and the successful bidder would set up the financial and contractual systems for the fund. BaNES financial department would administer the fund, but it would be governed by representatives from community groups, Transition Larkhall being one, who would have a say in how the money from the fund was allocated.
Southern Solar, the solar panel installation firm, can install all the panels by March 2011
The network of Neighbourhood Energy Champions would be project-managed by Transition Larkhall in partnership with BaNES Sustainability Department

Time line
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The project will involve a lot of work, a committment of perhaps one evening per week from January to the end of March if we win the bid. Here is a possible timeline for what needs to be done by when.
Note: B&NES won’t have the capacity to support a full NEC project as outlined above, until new community officer is in post- likely in February.

December
• Bid submitted!
• With accompanying letters of support from local organizations

January
• 9th: First training for NECs with CSE in Chew Magna
• 18th: Short-listing notification
• 25th: Find out whether we have won!

February
• Second NEC training
• Energy monitors purchased
• Materials designed and produced
• Legal entities established e.g. revolving fund, company ltd by guarantee to manage fund and project.
• Submit planning applications for schools

March
• Outreach to groups, house warming parties organized etc
• Celebration organized

April
• Free for Everybody insulation funding comes in at start of FY09-10
• Feed in Tariff starts at start of FY09-10
• NEC programme: House to house, house warming, community group presentations
• Planning permission obtained for schools

May
• NEC programme ends
• Solar Prize Draw winners announced
• Celebration event!!
• Sizzle Strategy: Promote the heck out of Larkhall Solar Zone!
• School PV installation starts

June
• Debrief, learnings, other local activities for new TL recruits to get involved with
• Start recruiting next round of NECs….
• Domestic solar round 1 installed

July
• Outreach to groups, house warming parties organized etc
• Celebration organized
• Prep next round of NECs….

August
• Low carbon holidays for all TL and BNES participants…

September
• Second round of NEC project starts if we wish- with new NECs. Training. This will likely be when BNES does a district-wide rollout of the NEC programme to other groups based on experience of TL pilot.

October
• NEC programme: House to house, house warming, community group presentations

November
• NEC programme ends
• Solar Prize Draw winners announced
• Celebration event!!
• Sizzle Strategy: Promote the heck out of Larkhall Solar Zone – this time with a seasonal theme

December
• Debrief, learnings, other local activities for new TL recruits to get involved with
• Domestic solar round 2 installed

January 2011

February 2011

March 2011

April 2011
ALL THE MONEY IS SPENT- and FITs are paying back into the fund!