TBG staff members recently attended training provided by Energy Local.
Participants came from four community energy enterprises: 4Llan (Ceredigion), Cwm Arian Renewable Energy (Near Crymych), Transition Bro Gwaun (Us!) and Ynni Bro Rhian (Trefin).
We all benefitted from the encyclopaedic knowledge and enthusiasm of Dr Mary Gillie, Founder and Director of Energy Local (pictured, centre).
Many thanks to Mary and to Ynni Bro Rhian who arranged the 2-day training.
The Energy Local concept sees households and generators form an ‘Energy Local Club’. In essence the club is aiming to ‘match’ local renewable energy generation with local energy consumption. A price is set by the club members for matched supply and demand. Typically for household members this is below the price that they would pay for energy from the national grid. For the generator the match price is typically above the payment they would receive for exporting to the national grid. So for matched energy, both the local consumer and the local generator benefit financially, helping to keep more money within the local economy.
We’re delighted that our neighbours Ynni Bro Rhian are actively progressing with establishing a club in Trefin. Good luck with that.
Meanwhile, we are doing groundwork for our own club which would cover the Fishguard and Goodwick area while we await a regulatory change that would enable us (finally!) to feed power from the Abergwaun Community Turbine into such a local energy scheme. We anticipate that change will happen later this year. Watch this space…!