GEN News

GEN was named the best Community Energy Project 2011 at Suffolk - Greenest County awards last night.

Interest payments for our first period are now being paid - if you have not already sent your bank details to Simon, please do so as quickly as possible.

Some GEN members met with Jenny Willis from Co-operatives UK to assist with the writing of a report on Community Energy. The final report has just been issued - click here to read it.

GEN was named winner of the Environmental Awareness award at the Colchester Business Awards on Friday night. Will and Simon were there to collect the award.

Our "How we did it" guide, which might be useful to other groups looking to set up a similar community energy enterprise, can be found on the FAQ page.

We are now publishing live generation statistics on the Sunny Portal - 10th May 2011

and Other News

    Projects

    Nayland Primary School

    Live Generation Stats

    Opening Ceremony

    Bures Primary School
    Ferrier's Barn Day Centre

    Green Energy Nayland

    Your community enterprise bringing renewable energy to the village.

    Your community, Your future

    Green Energy Nayland (GEN) is a community enterprise that aims to bring renewable energy to the local area. We think it is important that;

    Nayland Primary School with Solar Panels
    • there is an increase in the use of renewable energy sources
    • we increase our energy independence
    • everyone be able to participate in the benefits arising from the Government Feed in Tariffs, not just those with the money to install their own system. Our minimum investment is just £250.
    • everyone in the community can take part in reducing our overall carbon footprint
    Bures Primary School and Ferrier's Barn

    Following on from the huge success of our first project we are now in the advanced stages of planning for follow up projects on two community buildings in nearby Bures.

    More information can be found on the Bures Projects page.

    Nayland Primary School
    Nayland Primary School with Solar Panels viewed from the air

    Our successful first project was completed with a formal opening ceremony on 11th May. Since then we have saved an estimated £1,000 for the school while also generating an income of over £4,000 - this means we are able to pay our members a very healthy level of interest on their investment.

    The installation consists of 84 panels with a peak capacity of 15.54kW; the chart below shows a summary of the generation recorded and more details can be found by following the link to Sunny Portal on the left. This shows that even on a winters day we can generate enough electricity for all the school's needs as long as the sky is relatively clear.

    On a clear day day in the summer months we generated more than 100kWh, with the excess being exported to the grid to be used by surrounding houses. The chart below gives a monthly summary of our generation;

    More coming soon .....

    The Nayland Primary School project has generated a lot of interest nationally and our work has been recognised with the award of Best Community Energy Project from Suffolk - the Greenest County and under the Environmental Awareness category by Colchester Business Awards.

    Will Hitchcock at Greenest County Awards
    Suffolk - the Greenest County

    Suffolk County Council supports GEN as part of its ambition to Create the Greenest County. This is a pioneering project which is expected to be replicated with other communities across the country.

    Transition Nayland

    "Local energy generation is one of the cornerstones of building local resilience. This project brings so many benefits to Nayland, for the school, the wider community and the individual investors."

    What are the goals of GEN?

    • Nayland School as it might look with solar panels installed.

      For the School;

      cheap electricity; saving more than £600 a year;

      saving can be diverted to other educational projects;

      increased community involvement with the school;

      educational opportunities;

      ownership of the solar panels at the end of the scheme;

    • The wider community will benefit from GEN's projects.

      For the Community;

      opportunity to get involved in a pioneering approach to build energy resilience within the community;

      allows everyone to benefit from the Feed in Tariff programme; not just those who can afford their own renewable system;

      overall carbon footprint of the community is reduced;

      foster greater interaction between the community and its public buildings.

    • Are you a potential investor in GEN?

      For the Investor;

      Involvement in an exciting and pioneering project which could bring healthy future financial returns;

      Benefit from the government back feed in tariff without the need to install your own renewable energy system;

      Be part of a scheme that will benefit the community as a whole;

      Investment in a local enterprise;

      Strengthening you investment portfolio by taking advantage of EIS tax relief.