In this issue:

• Dorset Community Energy solar generation in 2018
• New solar installations in 2019 – get ready to support our share offer – please help us gauge local interest by completing this short survey  by 10th March – once we have thirty responses we will make a donation to Trees for Life, who plant trees in the Scottish Highlands.
• Microgrids and Passiv House development in Bridport
• Last chance for Feed-in-Tariff 31^st March 2019
• 2019 AGM

best wishes from Dorset Community Energy Directors: Tim, Pete, Henry, Tom, Derek and Emily

---

Dorset Community Energy solar generation in 2018

Last year, 2018, was the second sunniest UK year on record according to the Met Office, with 1,575 hours of sunshine landing on our solar panels.  We generated 445,876 kWh of electricity, more than 10% above that predicted in our share offer documents.  Dorset Community Energy (DCE) members benefitted from an interest payment of 5.5% in September.

Read more

---

More solar installations on schools expected in 2019, your chance to support!

Help us gauge local interest by completing a short survey, read the article and find the link below or do it now!  Please complete by 10th March – once we have thirty responses we will make a donation to Trees for Life, who plant trees in the Scottish Highlands.  

If you were at our AGM, you will have heard that we won a grant application to the Rural Community Energy Fund to meet the costs of technical and feasibility studies for a new round of solar photovoltaic panel installations on schools.

The feasibility studies are now almost completed. Six schools and five hospital sites have expressed interest and have been assessed as feasible using a similar financial model to our existing installations, and we expect to issue a share offer soon.  

Read more

---

Microgrids and Passiv House development in Bridport

Dorset Community Energy (DCE) also secured funding from the Rural Community Energy Fund to carry out a feasibility study to supply solar photovoltaic electricity to 53 new homes being developed by Bridport Co-Housing and designed to Passiv House specifications.

DCE appointed consultants Wessex Energy Solutions (WES) to conduct the study, which has shown that using a standard model of installing panels onto homes and selling electricity to the householders would not be financially viable, however installing an array of panels whose electricity is shared across the houses, by a micro-grid, backed up with a storage battery is financially viable.  

Read more

---

Last chance to benefit from Feed-In Tarrif

If you are considering installing solar photovoltaic panels, or any other renewable electricity technology on your home then you need to act quickly as the Feed-in Tariff will close to new installations on 31st March 2019.

Read more

---

Dorset Community Energy – AGM – July 2019

We are intending to hold our AGM in July 2019, date and venue to be confirmed..

Welcome to our July 2018 Newsletter

Thank you for opting in to the Dorset Community Energy newsletter – this is our first newsletter since the 25th May 2018, the date the new General Data Protection Regulation came into force, you are one of 109 people who opted in!

In this issue:
⦁    AGM – Tuesday 17th July – Bridport – Why you should come
⦁    DCE Chair Tim Crabtree discussed renewable energy with Prince Charles
⦁    New projects in Dorset
⦁    Sunshine fuelling the arts in Bridport
⦁    Wessex Community Energy event in Bath on 6th July
⦁    GDPR Compliance!

best wishes from DCE Directors: Tim, Pete, Henry, Tom, Derek and Emily

Continue reading “July 2018 Newsletter” →

Welcome to our March 2018 Newsletter

The sun shone last year, and we generated 5% more electricity than predicted, which is good news for members’ interest payments.  In this issue:

• AGM – Save the date – 17th July – Bridport
• DCE awarded grant for PV monitoring at Damer’s First School
• Watch Pete show you how to make a solar-powered windmill
• Nominate someone to receive your shares (up to value of £5,000) in the event of your death
• Check out Sustainable Dorset’s new website

Best wishes from DCE Directors: Derek, Emily, Henry, Pete,Tim, and Tom

Continue reading “March 2018 Newsletter” →

Welcome to our September newsletter

The sun has been shining in Dorset – we have generated 5% more electricity than expected and members’ interest payments have been made this month.  We’re also hoping to link up children in our schools, with children at schools in African countries who also have PV – for educational activities about sustainable energy. And get inspired and updated at the Dorset Climate Change conference in Weymouth in October.

Best wishes from DCE directors: Tim, Tom, Henry, Pete, Emily and Derek.

Continue reading “Newsletter September 2017” →

First 12 months of solar generation exceeds estimates

All April 2016 solar panel installations have exceeded performance estimates.

With 12 months of data now available we are pleased to report that the school solar PV installations installed during the 2016 Easter holidays have all generated more electricity than predicted.

The installations, at Bridport Primary School, The Blandford School and Milldown Primary School are slightly different, but the 3 schools combined have generated a total of 5,000 kWh more solar electricity than estimated over the last 12 months.

In practice we have found that the larger secondary schools are using more than 95% of the solar electricity on-site and therefore making the greatest overall financial savings. However the peak electricity demand at primary schools is in the range of 30kW–40kW, so it is very interesting to see that on sunny days the primary schools with 50kW solar panel installations are completely solar powered and carbon-neutral in electricity use.

Continue reading “DCE newsletter April 2017” →

Progress update: ten community PV installations now completed

Following solar panel installations during the Easter holidays at two schools in Blandford Forum and Bridport Primary School, Dorset Community Energy has now completed 10 solar PV installations.

Bridport Arts Centre and a further 4 schools have agreed to solar PV installations in the August summer holiday, including Budmouth College, which was not on the original project shortlist. Installers have been appointed for all sites except Budmouth College (currently being tendered).

The initial sites financed through the June 2015 share offer have all been successfully registered for the Feed-in Tariff and the first interest payments to members who invested in the June 2015 share offer will be made shortly after the October AGM.

The total solar panel installed capacity is currently on-course for 403 kW by the end of August, very close to the 407 kW target in the November 2015 Share Offer Document. If there is a final budget underspend St Mary’s C of E Primary School in Charminster has expressed interest in a 10kW solar PV installation.

Work is currently on-going finalising roof lease agreements for the remaining sites.

Continue reading “DCE newsletter July 2016” →

Six community PV installations have now been completed

Following the completion of community solar panel installations at Martinstown Village Hall in March, Salway Ash Village Hall in April and Osmington Village Hall in May, Dorset Community Energy has now completed the 3 larger PV installations on the roofs of Dorchester Middle School, The Thomas Hardye School, Dorchester and the roof of the Sports Hall at Lytchett Minster School near Wimborne.

The share offer in June was over-subscribed, raising £190,000 of community investment in 4 weeks, resulting in refunds for all share applications over £3,700. Following the share offer, it was important to complete the 3 school solar PV installations during the August holiday when there are no pupils on-site. The installers Chris Rudge Renewables and Dorset Energy Solutions are to be congratulated in completing the installations to a very high standard within the deadline, despite the heavy rain in the latter half of August.

The Dorset Community Energy secretary and directors were also kept busy ensuring the legal side of the solar roof rental agreements were completed and ready for signature at the time of the installations.
The final step is registration of the 3 school solar PV installations for Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) with Good Energy, which will be completed in early September.

Continue reading “DCE newsletter August 2015” →