News

Students pitch green energy ideas to local businesses

2 Aug, 2010

Students from three separate vocational courses at Cornwall College have demonstrated their skills of working as sustainable energy consultants when they made presentations to local businesses.

Over the last term 42 students have been working with Fugro-Seacore Ltd in Falmouth, Adelaide Stores in Tolvaddon and Potager Garden in Constantine to analyse energy consumption and investigate renewable technology opportunities. The weeks of research were put to the test recently as the groups of students pitched their recommendations to their business clients.

The initiative has been led by Cornwall’s sustainable energy charity Community Energy Plus as part of the Schools for Intelligent Energy Use (SIEU) Project - a European programme funded by Intelligent Energy Europe, with eleven partners across nine EU countries.

Clare Langdon, Senior Project Officer at Community Energy Plus said: “Over the projects’ duration this term, I have been impressed by the hard work and professional attitude of the students I have met with. I hope that the participating students and business have gained a greater understanding of the importance of sustainable energy use and how it can help businesses save resources and become more competitive which is especially relevant in the current economic climate.”

Following the success of two phases of the Schools for Intelligent Energy Use Project, Community Energy Plus has recruited 10 groups of students from 5 schools and colleges from across Cornwall to work with local businesses on a series of new projects in the autumn term.

For further information about the Schools for Intelligent Energy Use Project visit www.sieu.info

Ladock and Grampound Road residents enjoy Low Carbon community tours

23 Jul, 2010

Residents of Ladock and Grampound Road took the opportunity to see renewables in action across their community when the parish’s ‘Low Carbon Living’ project held its first open day tours recently.

The event was organised by Community Energy Plus who secured funding for the initiative through the Low Carbon Communities Challenge and have managed the delivery of the project.

Guided tours of a selection of participating properties provided a chance for parish residents to see a number of renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency solutions in action across a range of building types and also included a visit to the community owned wind turbine.

Neil Farrington, Sustainable Energy Projects Manager at Community Energy Plus was pleased with the interest shown for the project within the wider community: “The open day proved to be a great opportunity for local residents to get up close to renewable technologies and find out about the experiences directly from householders who have been living with the technology. This project is all about delivering low carbon activity across the community and events like this are a great way of inspiring more people to get involved in futures stages of the project and take action to lead more sustainable lives.”

Cornwall College Camborne students get to work as green energy consultants

11 Jun, 2010

42 students from three Cornwall College courses are getting ‘real life’ experience of working as green energy consultants through a pioneering programme linking education with business through sustainability.

The Cornwall College Camborne students are working on projects as part of the Schools for Intelligent Energy Use (SIEU) project which is funded by Intelligent Energy Europe, with eleven partners across nine EU countries. The UK element of the programme is being delivered by Community Energy Plus, Cornwall’s leading charity delivering local solutions to fuel poverty, energy efficiency and renewable energy.

20 students from the Mechanical and Engineering BTEC level 3 course are working with the Illogan Green Ripple community project to help Adelaide Stores in Tolvaddon identify where energy efficiency measures and behavioural changes can help the village shop save energy and which renewable energy technologies may be appropriate.

Simon Wills, owner of Adelaide Stores, said: “The Illogan Green Ripple project has provided an exciting opportunity for us to play a part in a community-wide project to reduce carbon emissions and we’re really pleased to have enlisted help from our local college to investigate what we can do to become a greener business. The students that visited the store were full of enthusiasm and I was very impressed with the ‘no stones unturned’ level of questioning they gave and certainly look forward to finding out what they propose.”

At Potager Garden in Constantine, the students will be putting their skills to the test by helping the business to choose appropriate renewable energy technology to heat the new café and plant sales area.

Mark Harris, owner of Potager Garden said: “In the couple of years that we’ve been open to the public we’ve quickly outgrown our café and plant sales area, so were already planning a new building where we wanted to ensure that sustainability was at the very core of our plans. We’re delighted to take part in the Schools for Intelligent Energy Use Project and gain some fresh thinking on the different options for keeping the new building at a comfortable temperature all year round and assess the financial case for exploring the government’s incentive for renewable heat generation which is due to start next spring.”

In Falmouth the specialist overwater drilling and marine construction contractor Fugro-Seacore Ltd is working with students from Cornwall College’s NVQ level 2 Mechanical Engineering course to explore how the business can reduce its energy consumption through behavioural changes and low-energy lighting.

Seacore’s Christian Jermyn said: “We’re excited to be working in partnership with the SIEU project and Cornwall College. This is an excellent opportunity for Fugro-Seacore to be involved with the development of the skills and ideas of the next generation of engineers in this exciting area of industry. We’ve already made some modifications to parts of our seven acre site to reduce unnecessary lighting but we look forward to seeing what other solutions the students put forward to help us further reduce our electricity consumption.”

To present strong cases to encourage their business clients to take their recommendations on board, the students will provide fully costed proposals outlining the initial investment costs, payback periods and the anticipated Carbon Dioxide savings.

Clare Langdon, Senior Project Officer at Community Energy Plus said: “This project really demonstrates the value of embedding sustainability across all areas of education and I hope that some of the participating Cornwall College students will use what they’ve learnt in their future careers. Cornwall is the very first area in the UK to roll out the SIEU programme which really reflects the important role that Cornwall is taking in the region’s growing sustainability sector.”

Cornwall College Camborne’s Level 2 Engineering Programme Manager, Steve McGurk, said: “Working on real-life projects is an excellent way for our vocational course students to improve their project management and analytical skills. The SIEU project is particularly engaging because its success is based on the students leading their own learning experiences and getting feedback from their business clients as well as their lecturers.”

For further information about the Schools for Intelligent Energy Use Project visit www.sieu.info

Local renewable energy champion shortlisted for national award

27 May, 2010

The profile of a local charity which delivers local solutions to fuel poverty, energy efficiency and renewable energy has received a major boost after Neil Farrington, Sustainable Energy Projects Manager at Community Energy Plus, has been shortlisted for a Renewable Energy Association Award.

Neil has made it onto a shortlist of six for the Champion Award which celebrates the achievement of an individual who deserves recognition for their contribution to the British renewable energy sector.

Since joining Community Energy Plus in 2002, Neil has worked with numerous communities to build awareness about the options for, and has assisted with the delivery of, renewable energy projects in community settings in Cornwall and he recently secured Low Carbon Community Challenge status for a Cornish project. He is well respected for the training he provides on renewables and climate change and his contribution to new planning guidance on the use of renewables in Cornwall.

Ian Smith, Managing Director of Community Energy Plus said: “We’re really proud of Neil’s achievements and being shortlisted for such a prestigious industry award is a testament to the significant contribution Neil has made to the renewable energy sector in Cornwall, and by inference the UK, since during the period he has been working with us, Cornwall has been one of the leading regions for renewable energy uptake.”

The results of the Renewable Energy Association Awards will be announced at a gala dinner in London on 10th June.

Ladock and Grampound Road residents invited to first public meeting

10 May, 2010

Residents of Ladock and Grampound Road will have the opportunity to find out about the progress of the project that is seeing their rural parish become a test bed for achieving sustainable living on a community-wide scale at a public meeting on Saturday (15th May).

In February it was announced that the mid Cornwall parish had been successful in its bid for Low Carbon Communities Challenge status. Activity to deliver this project is now well underway and residents may have already seen solar panels starting to appear on rooftops across the parish.

As part of the £500,000 project, homes, businesses, community buildings and schools in Ladock and Grampound Road have also undergone a range of carbon cutting measures including the installation of biomass boilers, insulation and heat pumps. The project is also seeing the creation of an edible woodland and installation of a small community owned wind turbine.

On Saturday 15th May the project’s first public meeting will be held at Grampound Road School from 10am to 1pm as part of the monthly farmer’s market.

Residents are invited to come along to find out more about what has been happening in the parish, how the project may affect them and how residents can influence further stages. Finances generated through all the renewable energy installations will create a significant fund to support further low carbon activity in the community for the next 20 years. At the meeting residents can find out how they can play a role in deciding how this money is used.

The application for funding and management of the project is being led by Community Energy Plus - Cornwall’s leading charity delivering local solutions to fuel poverty, energy efficiency and renewable energy.

To maximise the involvement of the local community, the Low Carbon Living Ladock and Grampound Road project will involve a number of activities throughout the year including open days at all the sites currently included, as well as workshops on climate change, renewable energy and resource efficiency.

Neil Farrington, Sustainable Energy Projects Manager at Community Energy Plus is pleased with the progress of the project over the past three months: “This groundbreaking project follows previous work by Transition Ladock and Grampound Road and local residents to create a more sustainable community. With the project now well underway we’re delighted to promote what we’re working towards to the wider community and hope that many more local residents will be encouraged to participate and make energy savings in their own homes and also engage with the ongoing programme of activity that will build on the targets of the initial project.”