Posts by Emily Bullock

Since our last newsletter in May, and despite the Covid-19 complications, we have installed and commissioned further sites: All Saints, at Weymouth in May, Beaminster School in September, and our first Dorset Community Healthcare site, Bridport Community Hospital was commissioned on 29^th October.

We are especially pleased to have been able to progress installations with Dorset Healthcare despite the pandemic, many thanks to all those at Dorset Healthcare who enabled this.

In summary, we have completed and commissioned 455kW at five sites, have a further 188kW as works in progress at three sites, and are following up further potential sites to deliver the final 57kW.

Due to the extent of interest in this project, projected customer demand exceeds the current renewable energy supply of the 50kW wind turbine at Salway Ash.  DCE therefore secured funding from the Rural Community Energy Fund for a feasibility study to identify sites for two 200kW ground- mounted PV arrays to provide additional local renewable electricity.  Two sites have already been identified and work is underway to determine the exact build costs and likelihood of planning permission.  We also have a third site earmarked as back-up. 

Unfortunately due to the pandemic, there has been a delay in households having smart meters fitted, and in Octopus Energy developing and piloting the bespoke metering and billing system.  This has meant that the club set up to trade the electricity from the existing turbine has not yet started operating. Energy Local Bridport are continuing to work closely with Octopus Energy to ensure progress on the project, and we expect operation to begin in the next few months. .    

A big thank you to Pete West who to date has been acting as Asset Manager for our installations, and is now stepping down from this role.  We have received four applications for the recently advertised post and will be looking to select shortly. 

Dorset Community Energy intends to recruit a part-time Asset Manager on a self-employed contract basis, whose responsibilities will entail monitoring performance of up to 25 solar photovoltaic installations on schools, community buildings and hospitals in Dorset.

Remuneration is £22.05 per hour.

Full Job Description / Person Specification and how to apply here. Closing date 6th November.

Around 30 members joined our Virtual AGM which also featured presentations from Directors on: new installations under our third share offer; Energy Local Bridport and our Communications. The minutes of the meeting and the presentations can be viewed on our Members page.

DCE have succesfully commissioned a further 112kw of solar PV during the school’s summer holidays. The installation was completed by our contrators: Solar Voltaics, and covers five different parts of the school’s roof. The school will use most of the power on site, with excess energy at weekend’s and during school holidays exported to the grid.

Read the full story in the Bridport News.

DCE have secured a £20k grant to develop solar photovoltaic generation in and around Bridport as prt of our Energy Local Bridport project.

A scheme to increase the supply of renewable energy to people in Bridport has taken a big step forward with a £20,000 grant to Dorset Community Energy.

This solar panel project builds on the success of an initiative launched in January by Dorset Community Energy which aims to supply up to 60 Bridport homes with locally generated renewable energy from a wind turbine. Offering green energy at 9.5p a kWh, the Energy Local Bridport scheme has been heavily oversubscribed and still has 40 households on the waiting list.

Read the full article in the Bridport News here.

June 13th to June 28th was Community Energy Fortnight, which aims to celebrate community energy and to support community energy groups across the country to learn from one another. Bridport News – featured an article about Energy Local Bridport and Dorset Community Energy.

A community group will be celebrated for setting up renewable energy sources across the county over the next two weeks for ‘Community Energy Fortnight’.

June 13 to June 28 is Community Energy Fortnight, aimed at celebrating community energy and helping community energy groups across the country learn from each other.

One such group is Energy Local Bridport, a project to allow local trading of renewable energy and increase the value of the generation, which was set up by Dorset Community Energy (DCE).

Read the full article here.