Programme
Impact Assessment
www.cornwall.gov.uk/green
Contents
2
Introduction
3
Green Cornwall outcome 1
Cutting the CO2 emissions of the council by 40% by 2020
4
Green Cornwall outcome 2
Contributing towards cutting Cornwall’s GHG emissions above
national target (34%) by 2020
5
Green Cornwall outcome 3
Supporting the increase in renewable energy production to meet
and exceed the national 15% target of generation by 2020
6
Green Cornwall outcome 4
Providing leadership to promote non-transport related energy
demand reduction of 10% by 2020
7
Green Cornwall outcome 5 A measureable transformation towards a low carbon economy
8
Green Cornwall outcome 6
Measureable community benefit
9
Conclusion
10
Green Cornwall Strategy
Introduction
In response to local, national
and international targets to
reduce the impact on the
environment, Cornwall Council
established the Green Cornwall
Programme. The programme
set out how Cornwall can tackle
the challenges associated
with climate change, and be
carbon neutral or better whilst
maximising the economic and
social opportunities of low
carbon technologies.
It was the aspiration of the Council, through the Green
Cornwall Programme, that Cornwall should not only
match the national and European targets, but exceed
them. Many areas across the United Kingdom will not
be able to even meet these targets, and as Cornwall
has all of the elements in place to succeed in the low
carbon agenda, it is important for Cornwall to show
real leadership as part of its contribution to the wider
environmental challenges that we are facing. While
the Council cannot achieve this in isolation it can,
through a leadership and facilitation role, define a
Cornwall wide approach by involving communities,
other public bodies and the private sector, providing
a framework for collective action aimed at putting
Cornwall at the forefront of the green agenda.
The importance of the environment to Cornwall was
reinforced when the Council put it at the centre of its
medium term priorities for 2010 to 2015 by aiming to
use the low carbon economy to bring Cornwall out of
recession. In order to achieve this, the Green Cornwall
Programme was organised around 3 themes; Green
Council, Green Communities and Green Economy.
This document will review the progress made by the
Green Cornwall programme to date and identify the
areas for improvement that will be targeted by the
new Green Cornwall 2013-15 Strategy.
Green Cornwall Strategy
3
Green Cornwall outcome 1
Cutting the CO2 emissions of
the council by 40% by 2020
Page 2
In 2009 Cornwall Council set itself an ambitious
target of reducing its carbon footprint by 40% from
67,939 tonnes of carbon per year (tCo2/yr) to 40,764
tCo2/yr by 2020.
Tonnes
Carbon
Produced
Tonnes ofof
Carbon
Produced
by Cornwall Council
by Cornwall Council
Due to initiatives such as the carbon management
plan, the introduction of solar panels on some of its
buildings and the Green Reps scheme, based on the
current trajectory the Council will exceed its target
and achieve a 30,454 tCo2/yr reduction of 45%.
60,000
This saves the equivalent of enough carbon to fill
County Hall and over £7 million per annum of tax
payers money which can be used for the benefit of
the residents of Cornwall.
80,000
70,000
67,939
50,000
48,089
40,000
30,000
20,000
37,485
10,000
0
2009
2012
2020
30,454 tonnes of carbon saved would be
Page 4
enough to make 27 Carluddon Mica Tips
of carbon per year
Renewable Energy Production in Cornwall (KWh)
Renewable energy
production 2009
90
Current production
255
Target for 2020
4
Green Cornwall Strategy
390
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
Green Cornwall outcome 2
Contributing towards cutting
Cornwall’s GHG emissions above
national target (34%) by 2020
The Council is doing its part and leading by example in
the measures it has taken to reduce its own emissions.
However, these figures are just a small part of the
Cornwall wide target set both from Europe and national
Government to cut its emissions.
The target has been set to reduce emissions from
4.5 million tCo2/yr or 10 Eden Biomes by 34% to
3 million tCo2/yr by 2020.
Current GHG emissions are
enough to fill 10 Eden Biomes
To store this amount of carbon would turn NCH in to a 284
floor building, that’s 82 floors taller than the Burj Khalifa
the world’s tallest building.
245 floors
Unfortunately progress on this front has not been as
successful. Even if all of the measures from Green Cornwall
are undertaken, we would only achieve a 6.5% or 1
Biome reduction in Cornwall’s total GHG emissions. The
latest figures available show that GHG emissions are only
reducing slowly and as shown below targeted activity is
required if our Green Cornwall’s targets are to be achieved.
163 floors
Page 3
Projected progress towards meeting
Progress towards meeting Cornwall's GHG Emissions Target
Cornwall’s GHG Emissions Target
Achieved
Identified
reduction
To be identified
To be identified
This leaves a requirement for measures to save a
staggering 1.2 million tonnes or over 1000 Carluddon Mica
Tips of carbon per year yet to be identified. It has been
recognised that this will require much greater interaction
with the local community, private and agricultural sector if
Projected progress towards meeting Green Cornwall's GHG
we are to have any hope of succeeding.
Emissions Target
Green Cornwall Strategy
5
Progress towards meeting
Tonnes of Carbon Produced by Cornwall Council
80,000
Green Cornwall
outcome 3
67,939
70,000
60,000
48,089the increase in
Supporting
37,485
renewable energy production
to meet and exceed the
national 15% target of
generation by 2020
50,000
Identified
reduction
40,000
30,000
20,000
To be identified
10,000
0
2009
2012
2020
The Green Cornwall Programme aims to support an
increase in the use of renewable sources of energy
from providing just 2% (90MW) of Cornwall’s energy in
2009 to 15% (390MW) by 2020.
Page 4
Renewable
energy
production
ininCornwall
Renewable
Energy
Production
Cornwall (KWh)
Renewable energy
production 2009
90
Current production
255
Target for 2020
390
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
As you can see we have nearly tripled the energy
production from renewable sources in the last 3 years so we
are well on our way achieving the 2020 target of 390MWs
of installed capacity. In fact the 255MW of existing installed
capacity generates enough energy to provide 22% of the
total energy demand from Cornish homes.
However, if we were to look at the planning applications
which have been approved but not yet installed, there
would be an additional 385MWs of installed capacity of
renewable electricity and heat. If this were to be installed
it would generate more the 7 times the amount of energy
from renewable sources than was produced in 2009.
6
Green Cornwall Strategy
450
However, while this is good progress, there
remains a lot to do as even this increased figure
would only produce just over 20% of our total
energy needs.
Green Cornwall outcome 4
Providing leadership to
promote non-transport related
energy demand reduction of
10% by 2020
Non-transport related energy is the energy we use in
our homes and as a result it is what we have the most
control and influence over as individuals. Providing
a projected energy saving in MWh is difficult when
trying to promote non-transport related energy
demand reduction. It is about changing our behaviour,
and therefore our relationship with energy, as well
as reducing the amounts we use by utilising physical
measures such as insulation.
Green Cornwall set an aspirational target for
(non-transport) Energy Demand reduction of 10%
or 783,814.8 MWh based on the 2009 figure of
7,838,148 MWh.
For example, leaving appliances on standby will
account for 9% of annual electricity costs and simply
filling the kettle with enough water for 2 cups instead
of filling it up will save £47 a year. Having the loft and
cavity walls insulated in your home could save up to
£400 a year on your energy bills.
The Concession Contract secured £100million of ring
fenced funding to install energy efficient measures
in Cornwall. At least £50million of this will be used
for hard to treat and vulnerable households.
To facilitate this reduction initiatives such as fuel
switching and the recent announcement of the
Green Deal Concession Contract with British Gas
have been devised.
These major projects, and their impact on demand
reduction will be monitored and measured over the
next two years and will form a key part of the new
Green Cornwall strategy.
Filling the kettle with enough
water for 2 cups instead of full
will save £47 a year
Green Cornwall Strategy
7
Green Cornwall outcome 5
A measureable
transformation towards
a low carbon economy
Along with the environmental and financial benefits
of introducing a low carbon economy there is an
additional benefit of employment opportunities for
the local community. In past 12 months a commitment
to create over 170 jobs has been achieved through the
Green Deal, Cornwall Together and KEO Energyshare.
If Cornwall wide targets relating to embryonic
technologies and industries from the economy strand
of the Green Cornwall Programme were to be met it
would create up to 10,000 jobs in Cornwall.
Key commercial opportunities and sectors that will
be driven forward via the Green Cornwall programme
and the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) will include
the development of electric vehicle infrastructure
throughout the southwest, smart grids (Smart
Cornwall), marine and geothermal technologies.
That’s enough to fill the
Cornish Pirates Mennaye Field
Stadium in Penzance twice!
8
Green Cornwall Strategy
Green Cornwall outcome 6
Measureable
community benefit
Community benefit is a vital part of the work carried
out by the Green Cornwall Programme. Cornwall
Together has already saved Cornish residents
£285,000, and as indicated earlier savings could rise
dramatically through the Green Deal Concession
Contract. This will see a £50 million investment in
Cornish housing stock in 2 years which could see
energy efficient measures installed in over 10,000
properties and save Cornish residents up to £5 million
annually on their energy bills.
The Green Cornwall team also administered the
Winter Wellness campaign which was twice held
up as an example of good practice nationally. The
initiative brought together a consortium of public and
voluntary sector organisations in an attempt to reduce
the amount of excess winter deaths and ill health
associated with cold damp homes in Cornwall. In the
winters of 2011 and 2012 the scheme helped nearly
1500 households including measures such as energy
saving advice, insulation and boiler repair.
The role of community energy groups such as WREN
(Wadebridge) and FREE (Fowey) are going to be
increasingly important over the coming months
and years as they attempt to localise the benefit of
renewable energy. To support this activity, community
based initiatives administered by the Green Cornwall
team such as the Community Energy Forum, Revolving
Loan Fund and Community Hub Grant Scheme will
facilitate demand reduction, promote community
resilience and provide genuine community gain.
An example of the impact of one such community
initiative was the retrofit of 78 homes in Penwithick
which has had dramatic effects on the quality of life
of the people who live in them. The Building Research
Establishment (BRE) forecasts that across all dwellings
and all measures, there will be cost savings in the
region of £28,500 per year and CO2 savings of 150.2
tonnes per year.
Cornwall Together
has already saved
Cornish residents
£285,000
Green Cornwall Strategy
9
Conclusion
As you have seen the Green Cornwall Programme
is working towards maximising the opportunities
associated with the developing low carbon
economy. While there are wider environmental
drivers that underpin some of this work, in a report
for the World Energy Council Wayman (2012)
identifies that there are practical requirements
for our energy future that need consideration:
the need for energy security, social equity and
environmental impact mitigation. The possibilities
for economic enhancement are also significant.
Central to developing this approach will be
helping people understand how they can
influence the way we purchase, lose, use and
generate (PLUG) energy in Cornwall. The Green
Cornwall ‘PLUG’ approach will be essential when
considering how to approach the opportunities
and challenges of Wayman’s energy trilemma.
To achieve this the Green Cornwall 2013-15
strategy will utilise the lessons learned to date,
consider how we ‘PLUG’ our energy supply in the
future, and in doing so consider how it will reduce
carbon emissions and embed local benefit for the
communities of Cornwall. It is envisaged that this will
be achieved through a ‘wedges’ approach, whereby
through a series of interlinked work strands Cornwall
can deliver meaningful and positive change through
its transformation into a low carbon economy. This
also builds on the research of Pacala and Socolow,
who presented a number of options for ‘stabilization
wedges’ as part of a coordinated approach to
tackling climate change and the decarbonisation
of our economy, and whilst each wedge is a
monumental task, they illustrate the need to utilise
technology and/or lifestyle changes; which is at the
heart of the Green Cornwall Programme.
10
Green Cornwall Strategy
It is the intention of the Green Cornwall team to
develop a suite of Cornish stabilization wedges to
illustrate and deliver these social and economic
opportunities. Within the Green Cornwall 2013-15
strategy local solutions will be devised for energy
demand reduction, lowering agricultural emissions,
renewable energy generation and decarbonising
transport, always identifying where possible the
financial and employment opportunities that each
wedge presents for the residents of Cornwall. These
will be particularly useful when trying to contextualise
the requirements and opportunities for individual
communities to decarbonise their energy supply,
provide energy security and promote social wellbeing.
Purchase
Lose
Use
Generate
Notes
Green Cornwall Strategy
11
If you would like this information in another
format or language please contact:
Cornwall Council
County Hall, Treyew Road
Truro TR1 3AY
Telephone: 0300 1234 100
Email: [email protected]
www.cornwall.gov.uk
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