Community energy: planning now for the future

In the most recent edition of Radio 4’s In Business,

” David Baker speaks to the National Grid, to major electricity suppliers, and to smaller, community-based generators, asking how the system is changing and what needs to be done to make sure it remains reliable, affordable and sustainable, so that the future is not one of widespread blackouts:”

Keeping the Lights On | In Business: BBC 

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We need to be saving energy:

The energy-saving, social housing revolution > Passivhaus wins architecture prize

Now is the time to think about Energy saving

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But we also need to be thinking about how we are going to produce energy…

We can turn our rubbish into power:

SidEnergy visit to Exeter waste-to-energy plant

And we can localise our energy production:

Orkney: a model for renewable energy

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The UK government and the Devon county council want us to be ‘energy neutral’ by 2050

UK becomes first major economy to pass net zero … – Gov.uk

Energy and Climate Change | devon.gov.uk

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But how exactly are they going to do it?

Climate change > councils ‘lack the power and funds to take effective action’

A councillor’s workbook on acting on climate change

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One way might be to engage with ‘community energy generation’:

Community Energy – GOV.UK

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But we need a plan – and back in 2005, the nascent Transition Town movement was looking at Energy Descent Plans:

Kinsale 2021 An Energy Descent Action Plan – Version.1. 2005

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And in 2010, Transition Town Totnes did the same:

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‘Transition in Action’ is the UK’s first comprehensive Energy Descent Action Plan designed for and by a local community.

It sees the changes necessitated by climate change, peak oil and the UK’s debt problem not as a crisis, but as a huge opportunity for enterprise, creativity, community, enhanced resilience and a greater quality of life.

In these pages you will find not just a vision of a more resilient world, but practical steps to reach it, key research, inspired ideas and a glimpse into the town’s recent past and what we can learn from it.

The pdf can be downloaded for free. Please credit TTT if you use this material.

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Energy Descent Action Plan (EDAP) | Transition Town Totnes

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And it’s becoming much more doable:

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