ECOE Update (November)
Completion of Solar PV 1 and 2
ECOE is very proud to announce the completion of our Solar PV 1 and 2 installations. All of our pre-registered roofs for Solar PV 1 were successfully installed and commissioned in time for the end of September deadline.
The Glasshouse Lane Medical Centre (GLMC) Installation. From L-R: Dr Andy Wood, Gill Wyatt, and Dr Kate Dick
Exeter College (150 kWp) was completed in August.
Pinhoe Road Baptist Church (17 kWp), Glasshouse Lane Medical Centre (20 kWp and the Beehive Community Complex (24 kWp) all completed in September.
The Beehive Community Complex installation. From L-R: Gill Wyatt; Cllr Caroline Kolek, Mayor of Honiton and Cllr David Perkins
Slowly one by one, the Solar PV 2 sites turned out not to be possible for a range of different reasons. We were particularly sad when we learnt the structural repairs necessary for the installation at Swimbridge Jubilee Hall to progress, made it unviable.
This now means we have a total of 400 kWp currently generating across eight sites delivering low-carbon solar energy and reducing costs for onsite users.
Our share offer last November raised £390,000 which has now been spent on completing these projects. That money has covered some of the costs of Exeter College, which wasn’t part of the share offer, as two sites – Ashwoods and Newcourt Community Centre dropped out earlier this year. We have a shortfall of £70,000 currently provided by an interest free private loan.
New community loan investment opportunity
We have decided to raise this money by offering a private loan rather than a share offer due to how much time and money is needed for a successful share offer and a loan minimises the overall costs of the project. Get in touch if you are interested. This opportunity will not be made public but will only be offered by invitation to people who know ECOE and have let us know they are interested. This will mean people who make loans to ECOE, will have an understanding of ECOE and the level of risk involved. Please email to let us know of your interest.
Future Projects
With Solar PV 1 and 2 completed, ECOE can now focus on
- Progressing our Heat project
- Finding funding for a energy saving project that can help with fuel poverty
- Investigating a new business model for further solar installations
- Identifying new local energy supply project.
We intend to make a Power to Change funding application to support some of these projects and strengthen ECOE’s long term financial sustainability. There will be future community share offers to raise the investment for these projects.
More Success: Shortlisted for a further two awards
We are excited about being shortlisted for two national awards and one local award this year. We told you about our nomination for the Community Energy England’s Community Renewable Energy Project category, sadly we were unsuccessful. The winner was the Awel Aman Tawe Community Renewable Energy Project.
We have also been shortlisted for Regen SW best community energy initiative and the Express and Echo community awards for best community enterprise. We will find out the results on Nov 29th and 25th respectively.
Welcome to Patrick Devine-Wright
He is our latest director to join the team, a Professor in the Geography Department at Exeter University with experience in renewables and community energy, who wants to broaden his experience by being part of a local community energy group.
ECOE EVENTS
A Christmas Celebration: Exeter in Transition
A joint event with ECOE, Transition Exeter, The Real Food Store and Exeter Pound. Come along and join in. Refreshments, updates from all of the groups involved and poetry and live music.
Volunteer Opportunity
We have a great team of directors, our only gap is marketing. Do you have the expertise and the interest? Contact us, we’d love to hear from you.
ECOE Energy Conversations
A great opportunity to find out and to get involved in what is happening with ECOE and wider energy matters. Watch this space for announcement of our next one.
Visiting ECOE Installations
We know some of you are keen to have a tour visiting some of our installations, we haven’t had time to organise this yet as we had to prioritise completing the installations. This will now be arranged in the Spring.
