SUSTAINABLE ENERGY - RESOURCE 1
How Fife Council can support Community Energy Initiatives
Fact: Scotland uses 144,500 barrels of oil, 7,743,500,000 m3 of natural gas, and 10,000 tons of
coal per day. Most of this fuel generates heating and lighting.
The challenge:
We need to reduce energy use by changing behaviour, increasing uptake of renewables and
improving energy efficiency. We need to support innovative community approaches as well as
disadvantaged households.
The opportunity:
Reducing energy use saves money, and raises awareness of sustainability issues. The shift to
renewables and the drive to retrofit is creating new jobs.
Examples of Community Action on Energy
1. East Neuk and Landward Energy Network – Working with Community Councils
David and Georgina Stutchfield proposed transport, food and renewable energy projects to the
Community Forum, but the forum responded to a project focusing on insulation and reducing
household bills. An ENLEN management team supported by Fife Council secured £212,903 from the
Climate Challenge Fund (CCF).
ENLEN employs an energy specialist coordinator, and 6 energy champions with local
knowledge who trained to provide energy advice to East Neuk’s 8,500 households. Some of the
community councils are now interested in community owned wind turbines which could end return
£50-100,000 a year to each community. A regional approach to wind planning is being requested.
2. North Howe Transition Toun - A Transition Approach
NHTT began in 2008 with a group of friends interested in the Transition model. It now has 50
members and a network of 300 people amongst the 289 homes and 850 people in the Bow of Fife,
Collesie, Letham, Monimail and Giffordton. NHTT shows people you can make a difference (focusing
not on saving the planet but on cutting bills); it has a big vision but takes small steps.
NHTT secured £92,755 CCF 4th round and £114,361 CCF 5th round funding, for a range of
projects including engaging the community around insulation, reducing energy use, and renewable
energy. They found that people were worried by rising energy bills, and a third were in fuel poverty.
NHTT brought in Changeworks, Energy Savings Trust and Fife Council energy advisers to help them,
and trained 4 local people as energy champions to give energy advice to help people change their
own homes (not changing them for them).
NHTT is aiming to use 600 hectares of woodland, examining the possibility of a Collessie
district heating system, community owned turbines, and is conducting a methane feasibility study from
a nearby landfill site. They also have food, transport, heart and soul groups and run Letham nights.
3. Newburgh Wind Group – Community Wind Power
Newburgh has 1500 households and 2000 people. A project was initiated by the Chair of Newburgh
Community Trust. In the 5th Round of the CCF, Newburgh Community Trust’s Community Windfarm
Project secured £235,850 funding: “to develop a community-owned wind farm with a generating
capacity equivalent to the Trust area's electricity consumption.” The wind farm could reduce CO2
emissions by 8,000 tonnes a year, and bring in up to £1 million a year to reduce fuel poverty and
support other community projects.
This project is part of the Engaging Scottish Local Authorities Programme, funded by ESRC, SFC and LARCI.
Fact: Scotland has c. 25% of Europe’s wind, 25% of tidal and 10% of the wave resource. Fife is a
key area for renewable energy production in Scotland.
How Fife Council can help:
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Regional planning strategies to facilitate wind turbine cluster planning
Support micro-renewables uptake e.g. through further schemes to facilitate solar uptake
Facilitate community woodland management for biomass and other management
objectives
Encourage energy efficiency through insulation, retrofit e.g. through negotiating bulk deals
Encourage energy efficient newbuild
Work with colleges and other institutions to increase the number of local technicians for
retrofit, energy efficient newbuild and renewables
Enhance inter-community communication regarding successful projects and approaches
Support mentoring of disadvantaged communities by communities with more capacity
Joint Venture Partnerships to produce renewable energy (renewable companies or RBS)
Ensure that asset transfer enables communities to retrofit and upgrade e.g. community
halls
Resources and Examples:
Centre for Sustainable Energy: Charity helping people change the way they think and act on energy
http://www.cse.org.uk/
Changeworks: Training, advice and help with events on energy efficiency www.changeworks.org.uk
Community Energy Scotland – Supporting community renewable energy initiatives
www.communityenergyscotland.org.uk
Community Sustainable Energy Programme (CSEP): http://www.communitysustainable.org.uk/
Eaga: A low carbon energy initiative pioneered by Fife Council in partnership with green support
services company Eaga: http://www.eaga.com/media/news/eaga-helping-green-living-fife
East Neuk and Landward Energy Network: Working with community councils to reduce fuel bills
and carbon emissions. www.eastneukenergy.org.uk
Eigg Renewable System: for the whole island and seeking to inspire others to take a community
route to sustainability. www.islandsgoinggreen.org
Fife Renewables:Growing fife’s future, renewable energy opportunity www.fiferenewables.com/
Fintry: Secured ownership of a turbine for community benefit, and has gone on to support
householders in energy efficiency measures. www.free-energy.org.uk
Gigha’s Dancing Ladies: 3 community owned turbines were installed in 2003, and fully paid off by
2009, generating community energy and income. www.gigha.org.uk/windmills/index.php
Greener Kirkcaldy Environmental Advice Centre provides advice and support to members of the
public on energy efficiency and sustainable transport, sustainable consumption and waste
reduction. www.greenerkirkcaldy.org.uk
Hydrogen Office: Demonstrating energy efficiency, renewables and hydrogen use, attracting
regeneration to Fife www.hydrogenoffice.com/
Newburgh Wind Group: Establishing community wind power to benefit all www.newburghct.org.uk
North Howe Transition Toun: A Transition approach to mobilizing community action on climate
change and peak oil through building community resilience. www.nhtt.org.uk
Reforesting Scotland: Exploring the local biofuel potential www.reforestingscotland.org
SCARF – Save Cash, Reduce Fuel: Has very useful fact sheets on saving energy, insulation,
choosing central heating systems, etc www.scarf.org.uk
The 2020 Climate Group Fife Council: http://2020climategroup.org.uk/casestudies/fife.php
This project is part of the Engaging Scottish Local Authorities Programme, funded by ESRC, SFC and LARCI.