I’ve been thinking about the idea of resilience quite a lot recently.
On the ‘macro’ scale, initiating a community-owned renewable energy project is inspired by the need for us to become more resilient in the face of climate change and peak oil. Clearly installing even 350kWs of solar panels is not going to make a great difference to how our energy is generated in Brighton, but the point is to demonstrate that there is an alternative to fossil fuels and start the journey of behaviour change in our energy use. If you want a beach you’ve got to start with the first pebbles…
On the ‘micro’ scale we have taken an approach of making BEC as resilient as possible from the very beginning. Starting with one guy (Will) and a big idea, we have networked extensively, talked to the majority of pioneering community energy projects in the UK, researched the best organisation and share structure and sought out any mentoring or advice that we could. We recognise that the three of us started with a lot of ambition but not much practical experience of the community energy sector, but 9 months down the line we are being asked to do talks on setting up an energy co-op and are providing advice to groups at an earlier stage of development. Clearly the big challenge of raising £1M to install 350kW of panels in Brighton is still ahead of us, but each day as we build our knowledge, experience and support it becomes a much more achievable goal.
So if you will indulge me in my exploration of the theme of resilience I would like to give some examples of (and thanks for) the support we have gained so far.
Mentoring:
Mentoring on our financial modelling from EnviroBusiness and on community engagement from Low Carbon West Oxford, funded by the Energy Saving Trust.
Professional services:
Practical legal advice from Mary Walsh of Colbha Consulting and pro bono legal support on lease agreements from Reed Smith Solicitors. We are also in discussion with Lianne Hartley of MEND London on planning advice.
Academic:
We are working with Sabine Hielscher and Adrian Smith of Sussex University who are researching community energy projects and have had some very useful research on community share offers, paid for by SEEDA, by Lin Povey and Lucy Jones of Brighton University.
Council & community groups:
We have submitted to the B&H Council Scrutiny panel and welcome their recent report on our City’s renewable energy future, and we are collaborating with Paolo Boldrini of Climate Connections on promoting local climate change initiatives.
Marketing:
In developing a professional marketing strategy we have great strategic input from Ruth Anslow of www.hisbe.co.uk , inspiration from Paul Dickinson of the Carbon Disclosure Project and PR/social networking advice from Flemmich Webb at EPUK.
Financial:
We wouldn’t have got to this stage without the financial support of our 6 pioneer investors – we thank them for their faith in the BEC concept and continued support.
There are many others who have helped nudge us down the journey so far, but rather than do an Oscars’ speech mentioning everyone I just wanted to make the point that success is built with the support of others and resilience comes from the connections you make.
