The grant money, awarded through the Government’s Low Carbon
Community Challenge, will be spent on a range of green measures which will
cut carbon, save money on energy bills, and could even see some communities
make cash from generating their own energy – thanks to the
Government’s new clean energy scheme.
Energy and Climate Change Minister Joan Ruddock said:
“The huge enthusiasm for the Low Carbon Communities Challenge
demonstrates that local people are passionate about building a low carbon
future in the UK. Today’s winners will act as a test bed for green
action, and show us all what a greener future looks like.
“This sort of action is vital because over a quarter of the
UK’s greenhouse gas emissions come from heating, lighting and
powering electrical appliances in our homes. By 2050 this needs to be
almost zero and we can only achieve that through the creative initiative of
local communities.”
In total, 22 communities will benefit from the £10million Low Carbon
Community Challenge grant fund. The aim of the fund is to inform government
of what works at a community level to cut emissions. The first ten winners
were announced on 21st December last year.
The South West winners are:
- Exmoor National Park in Somerset and Devon where The LCCC funding will
be used to help fund renewable energy projects such as wood pellet heating
and solar installations in six communities that have been participating in
community sustainable energy planning. One of those communities (Lynton and
Lynmouth) is planning to install a community owned hydropower turbine that
will generate an income for the community and the fund will help in raising
awareness of the scheme amongst potential investors.
- Ladock and Grampound Road in mid-Cornwall Plan to upgrade homes,
schools, community halls and businesses with a combination of energy
efficiency measures and microgeneration technology. They will monitor their
progress through smart meters to assess the impacts of behaviour change and
renewable energy technologies. Any income from clean energy will be fed
back into a community fund for further low carbon investment. The project
will also see the plantation of a nut grove carbon sequestration project
and the installation of an electric vehicle charging point.
