Invest in our own green energy scheme with 5% returns

Wed 6 Apr 2016, 20:25

I suppose one of the alternatives is to have more Hinkley C nuclear power stations. I wonder where the government subsidy for that comes from, and will for generations to come. The point here aside from subsidy issues is that this is not a commercial development, it is a community renewable energy project where all surpluses are returned to the community. This will have wonderful biodiversity impacts on the site and generate much needed green energy for 25 years.

Tue 5 Apr 2016, 09:24

Good to hear that some of that surplus £1m will help reduce future energy bills, Alexandra. Of course, all of it comes from increasing bills in the first place!

Mon 4 Apr 2016, 20:31

For those that don't know much about it, we are building a Solar Farm late this summer just outside Charlbury, alongside the railway tracks. Have a look at our website www.southillcommunityenergy.co.uk
It's an amazing project as it will generate almost exactly the same amount of green electricity as the amount used by all of the surrounding 3 parishes, so we could eventually be independent here with our own source of sustainable enerygy. We have developed it as a team of volunteers and all of the surplus income (about £1m) will be used for future local green energy projects to help the area generate more clean power and save energy - ultimately reducing bills.
We have an amazing asset now. We have planning permission, a grid connection and a lease for the land. We have launched a share offer on ethex www.ethex.org.uk/SCE to raise as much money as possible from the community rather than paying the banks high interest rates - more community investment, means more money for the community of Charlbury and the surrounding villages, rather than money for the banks. The returns are good at 5% each year (much better than an ISA) and solar is generally seen as a low risk investment as solar PV panels only need daylight to generate electricity and as long as it gets light and dark every day, there is a predictable income. There are also no moving parts and so little to go wrong.
Have a look at our website to find out more www.southillcommunityenergy.co.uk
Thanks for reading!