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Community energy

New report sets out Cumbrian energy projects in race to net zero

This month, the Green Investment Plan Cumbria (known as the GIPC to their friends) launched its new green investment report. The report outlines a series of projects that are set to pump billions of pounds into the local economy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by millions of tonnes every year. The projects intend to make the most of Cumbria's wealth of renewable and natural assets and take in a range of sectors and range across nature, transport, buildings and the energy sectors. They each involve various mechanisms to help with their financing. The report also identifies actions which should [...]

By |2021-12-02T14:08:08+00:00December 2nd, 2021|Climate politics, Community energy, Homepage, News, Renewable energy|
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Partnership to Galvanise Green Investments for Cumbria Launches

A new and innovative green investment plan for Cumbria is being developed by a consortium of local and national partners. The plan will enhance the county’s competitiveness nationally, benefit the county’s economy, boost employment opportunities and help tackle climate change. The investment plan will identify a set of iconic projects across Cumbria in sectors such as energy generation, transport, agriculture and waste management, along with exploring the sources of finance required from institutional investors, banks, public finance and community funding institutions. Key partners involved include Grantham Research Institute of the LSE, the multinational engineering and design company Arup, local [...]

By |2021-06-17T15:09:56+01:00June 17th, 2021|Community energy, Fossil fuels, Homepage, News, Renewable energy|
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Ambleside to Zero – what we’ve learned so far

by Molly Hogg, Low carbon communities project manager CAfS is proud to have supported Ambleside Action for a Future (AAFAF) for the past two years. Established in late 2018, this local sustainability action group has grown to over 100 members and is committed to reducing the whole town’s carbon footprint to net zero by 2030. Their outstanding ambition is being backed by South Lakeland District Council (SLDC). They see this as an opportunity to develop a whole-place approach to community decarbonisation that can be expanded across the district and replicated elsewhere. SLDC engaged CAfS to support AAFAF to shape [...]

By |2021-04-19T15:32:29+01:00April 9th, 2021|Ambleside to Zero, Community energy, Home energy efficiency, Homepage, News, Renewable energy|
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EV chargepoint share offer under way

About a month ago, we mentioned that we would soon be supporting the launch of a unique community share offer that aims to change sustainable transport in the North West. Well, the launch has been and gone and the Charge My Street share offer is NOW OPEN as anyone who follows our social media should already be well aware. We’ve tweeted and Facebooked about little else since the offer went live on the 24th. We're like a new mother or Piers Morgan after a Greggs vegan pastry reveal. It closes on 31 March so you can expect to hear more [...]

By |2020-02-28T12:52:09+00:00February 27th, 2020|Community energy, Electric vehicles, Homepage, News|
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Sharing is caring

A community share offer will be opening soon for Charge My Street, an enterprise that funds the installation of community-owned electric vehicle (EV) charge points. In the coming year, Charge My Street will be installing 200 charge points throughout the north of England, working with a range of partners, including CAfS. It's all part of a programme funded by Innovate UK. The aim is for the charge points to be funded through a public share offer run by Charge My Street. Communities and individuals who make an investment will therefore own a part of the expanding charge point [...]

By |2020-01-31T17:01:19+00:00January 31st, 2020|Community energy, Electric vehicles, Homepage, News|
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Ambleside to zero carbon – the story so far

Could Ambleside become a zero carbon community? That’s certainly the goal of the town’s sustainability organisation, Ambleside Action for a Future (AAFAF), and CAfS is helping to make it a reality. In 2019, we began a package of support for the town, thanks to support from South Lakeland District Council and the Space to Connect fund. Here’s a quick guide to what’s been happening. All in the plan What would it take for Ambleside to become carbon neutral? That’s the big question, and we’re helping to answer it. We’re creating a detailed, costed programme that would lead AAFAF towards [...]

By |2019-12-20T10:49:35+00:00December 5th, 2019|Ambleside to Zero, Community energy, Home energy efficiency, News, Renewable energy|
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Target reached for Alston school solar crowdfund

The solar dreams of Alston schools have come true after a crowdfunding campaign raised the money needed for a 27 kW solar PV array. The campaign was run by Alston Moor Community Energy (AMCE) and marks the group's first successful installation of renewable energy in the area. It raised its full target of £22,300, to install the maximum size of array on the roof of the Alston Primary and Samuel Kings’ schools. Kit England, one of AMCE’s directors, said: “We’re delighted to have hit our target and we’re extremely grateful to all those individuals and businesses who pledged donations [...]

By |2019-06-12T12:30:09+01:00May 30th, 2019|Alston Moor Greenprint, Community energy, News, Renewable energy|
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SLDC visit gives insight into community energy

Cabinet members and senior officers from South Lakeland District Council (SLDC) had an opportunity to see the possibilities of community energy at an event organised by CAfS. The group, including the leader of the council and the directors of housing and planning, visited the community energy installation at James Cropper PLC in Burneside on Tuesday 23 April. They also heard how community-owned renewables could be a game-changer for new housing developments in South Lakeland. The visit began with a presentation by Phil Davies from CAfS on how the community-owned solar PV installation at James Cropper PLC came about. Phil [...]

By |2019-05-01T17:06:18+01:00May 1st, 2019|Community energy, News|
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CAfS supports exciting Fellfoot Forward project

CAfS is taking part in an exciting landscape programme that will benefit communities in the north east of Cumbria. We’ve been asked to share our expertise on improving the energy efficiency of community buildings and supporting community energy, as part of the Fellfoot Forward project. The project aims to “forge creative connections between people and landscape, conserve habitats and key species and celebrate this beautiful area with its communities”. The area stretches along the Cumbrian side of the North Pennines AONB and UNESCO Global Geopark, reaching out as far west as the River Eden, and running north from Melmerby [...]

By |2019-05-02T17:42:35+01:00April 30th, 2019|Community energy, News|
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Crowdfunding campaign powers up for solar schools

Alston Moor Community Energy (AMCE) needs your help to install solar PV at Alston’s schools. Although too cloudy for a commercial share offer, a solar array would have huge benefits for the schools and AMCE has launched a nine-week crowdfunding campaign to ensure the project goes ahead. Installing solar will save the school budget over £1,000 a year, as well as cutting 9 tonnes of carbon a year and teaching the pupils about climate change. CAfS has supported AMCE from the beginning, helping them get established and facilitating access to grants from the Postcode Local Trust and from the [...]

By |2019-05-30T15:01:41+01:00March 28th, 2019|Alston Moor Greenprint, Community energy, News, Renewable energy|
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