The Aim of the Energy Group is to look at ways in which we, as a community can :
- Reduce our energy consumption
- Decarbonise our energy supply
- Make our energy supply as resilient as possible
- Enable community ownership of community scale renewables
The group has agreed that the best way of achieving these aims initially is to prioritise securing a community-owned turbine or turbines to reduce carbon and generate funds for Sustaining Dunbar and wider community projects.
Dunbar Community Energy Group
Sustaining Dunbar is aiming to set up community owned and run wind turbines! As well as producing carbon-free electricity, turbines can generate significant amounts of money to re-invest in the local community. A typical medium-scale turbine can generate around £100,000 per year. The income from one or more turbines would have a massive impact on the local economy, helping Dunbar become even more vibrant and sustainable and giving the local community control over its own income stream.
There is a wide range of private and public support available to help us buy and install these turbines through sources such as Community Energy Scotland and Community Windpower Ltd. Several practical steps need to be taken such as identifying potential sites, getting wider community support, engaging with local planning issues, investigating the most suitable ways to finance and own these turbines, and creating a re-investment plan which will ensure community engagement.
We welcome further members. Whether your interest is in raising the project’s profile locally, investigating potential community investments, business/financial planning, grant applications, company structures contact the convenor.
The Energy Group is convened by Malcolm Sayers
‘Zero Carbon Britain’ project
The Centre for Alternative Technology’s strategy for eliminating emissions from fossil fuels in 20 years can be downloaded from here.
‘The Power of Scotland Renewed’
The Power of Scotland Renewed report, based on research by independent energy analysts Garrad Hassan, and commissioned by Friends of the Earth Scotland, the World Development Movement, WWF Scotland and RSPB Scotland, shows that there is enormous potential to increase generation of electricity from renewable sources during the next two decades, so much so that by 2030 renewable energy can meet between 60% and 143% of Scotland’s projected annual electricity demand.
Read the full report here: PowerofScotlandRenewed_fullreport
or a summary here: PowerofScotlandRenewed-summary
