Energy and Climate Change Minister, Joan Ruddock, this week visited CoRE, a co-operative in Northumberland, and highlighted the importance of community-based approaches to climate change.Community Renewable Energy (CoRE) is a co-operative that helps voluntary and community groups set up community-owned renewable energy plants that generate a sustainable income.
The project visited by the minister is based in Alnwick, and is exploring ways of generating energy from everyday waste. In this groundbreaking work, CoRE is working in partnership with an NHS Project that supports adults with mental health problems. Together they are researching the viability of untreated recycled vegetable oil for energy generation.
Joan Ruddock was “impressed by the enthusiasm of everyone involved in the CoRE research project in Alnwick. We need local, on-the-ground solutions to engage communities in the challenge of climate change; the work of CoRE is helping to make this a reality.”
Joan Ruddick’s support for co-operative approaches to renewable energy follows on from similar government commitments. DEFRA is to fund Co-operativesUK to work with individual members of co-operatives to help change behaviour in relation to waste, energy use and travel. And last month’s Renewable Energy Strategy commits to “providing new funding to develop an online ‘How to’ guide for community energy”.
Ross Weddle, CoRE’s Manager, described some of the additional work being undertaken by CoRE: “CoRE is a regionally based national pilot project, backed by OneNE. We have projects in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Alnwick, Coquetdale, Morpeth, Newcastle and Teesdale. And we are exploring possibilities elsewhere in the region and beyond.”
Joan Ruddock added, “CoRE has already had significant success in a number of renewable energy schemes across the North East, which is why DECC and NESTA recently awarded the organisation a £20,000 grant under the Big Green Challenge Plus.
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