Community hall powered by sun, wind and soil
A new community hall in Woolsery has become one of the first halls in the South West to be powered by three forms of renewable energy technology.
Woolfardisworthy Sports and Community Hall will be a low-carbon building, powered by heat and light generated by the sun, the wind and geothermal energy.
Solar panels on the south-facing roof and a 15-metre tall wind turbine now provide electricity. This will power the hall and run a ground source heat pump, using heat from the sun, trapped below ground, to provide underfloor heating.
Together, the renewable technology will save the emission of nearly 12 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. Funding for the £83,000 renewable energy project was met by EDF Energy’s Green Fund, the Low Carbon Building Programme and Renewable Energy for Devon.
Brian Butler, the project manager, said: “Something has to be done to reduce carbon emissions but this project was not purely motivated by carbon savings. Renewable power sources will enable us to keep our costs down and that will help us to provide sport and entertainment in our own community for years to come. This project will have benefits for the whole community, particularly during the summer when we don’t need heating - most of the electricity will be sold back into the electricity grid. The money we make from that will be used to support further community initiatives.
“We have spent a lot of time talking to other interested groups about the sustainability of our building. The wind turbine makes a public statement and that’s what people will see when they arrive here. It has a wow-factor which you cannot miss and that is brilliant because it raises awareness and interest.”
Peter Hofman, EDF Energy’s Director Sustainable Future, said: “This is one of the first community buildings in Devon to showcase such a range of renewable energy technologies. The community is leading by example on green energy. In time, hundreds of people who use this hall will learn about renewable energy from this project and perhaps be inspired to take action themselves. We hope this project will leave a lasting legacy on the environment by shaping the thinking and behaviour of people who have their whole lives ahead of them as energy consumers.”
Residents set up a group to raise money to build the hall and the development was completed in 2001 to a high environmental specification. Features in the building include extra thick insulation in the walls, use of natural timber, natural light wherever possible, low-energy lighting, rainwater harvesting, an extra-efficient boiler, organic paint and triple glazing throughout most of the building. The village has about 1,000 residents and the hall is used by about 35 different groups to provide sport and entertainment in the local community at an affordable cost. Activities include keep fit, Brownies, playgroup, bowls, badminton, snooker, pool, skittles, darts, dancing, yoga, youth club, over 60s, football, pantomime, concerts, young farmers, WI, parish council, parties and fund-raising events.
A display panel is being installed this month which will have live data showing how much energy is being generated by the renewable energy equipment at any time and this information will be used by the local school as part of the curriculum.
There will be an open day at the hall on May 17, from 10.30am to 3.30pm, including speakers and trade stands on a renewable energy theme. Mr Butler will also be revealing what savings have been made since the equipment was installed.
EDF Energy has awarded £3million to nearly 170 renewable energy projects since the Green Fund was launched in 2001. Its purpose is to showcase renewable energy projects which produce power from the sun, wind, water and geothermal sources that reduce the greenhouse gases linked to global warming.
Awards of up to £30,000 are available for projects in England, Scotland and Wales and such funds have helped schools, charities, local authorities, churches, water mills and other non-profit organisations to generate clean, green energy in their own community. Larger grants of up to £50,000 were available previously for more exceptional schemes.
EDF Energy has supported the installation of a wide range of technologies, including wind turbines and solar panels, along with less well-established technologies such as biomass boilers, ground source heat pumps and micro hydropower generators.
The awards are provided by EDF Energy in partnership with customers who choose renewable energy for their home through its Green Tariff. This tariff gives consumers an active choice in driving demand for renewable energy as EDF Energy purchases renewable energy to the value of their consumption. Customers who join the tariff pay an extra 0.4p per unit of electricity they use, which is less than £15 a year for the average household. This money is matched pound for pound by EDF Energy to provide the grants awarded by the Green Fund.
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