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Green Investments from a local government view - online event
This online event is organised by the Transition Cambridge Energy Group on Wednesday 17th May 2023 at 20:00 hrs till 21:30 hrs
What does Green investment look like from a council viewpoint?
Councillor Nick Gay
, Vice Chair of the Cambridgeshire County Council Environment and Green Investment Committee, has volunteered to tell the Group about some of the projects the county is involved in, such as the Swaffham Prior Heat Network and the North Angle Solar Park. – both based in East Cambridgeshire
What are the criteria for a viable investment?
How do they fit with the County Council’s carbon strategy?
What makes a project suitable for the County Council rather than private business?
All welcome. Contact Nicola for the zoom link.
Cambridgeshire County Council has already successfully developed a 12MW solar park at Triangle Farm, also in Soham, which is generating clean energy and has delivered over £350,000 per annum net revenue to support the delivery of our services. This includes helping fund equipment and technology to enable older people to live independently and stay in their own homes; improve the health and wellbeing of those living with physical disability or sensory impairment; and to protect adults who may be vulnerable from abuse or neglect.
The Triangle Farm project has proven to be highly successful and has over-performed in the first two years of operation.
North Angle Farm is located just south of the existing Triangle solar farm. The 188-acre site has been identified as having the right characteristics for a solar farm: including flat and fairly remote land, few obstacles, standard rather than high quality agricultural land, and being close to grid connection options. As of May 2023 the Solar Farm is currently being developed.
Swaffham Prior Heat Network has been delivering reliable, renewable heat from 2022.
Swaffham Prior has led the way in the UK, to be the first village to develop a rural heat network. The mix of air source and ground source heat pumps have capacity to supply 1.7MW of heat to 300 homes located in Swaffham Prior.
The Swaffham Prior Heat Network project was started by Swaffham Prior Community Land Trust, to address fuel poverty and local environmental issues caused by the village’s reliance on oil heating. After securing local Councillor support for the project, the Community Land Trust achieved funding for a feasibility study through the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority. Following completion of the feasibility study, the project made successful applications to BEIS Heat Network Development Unit (HNDU) and Heat Network Investment Project (HNIP). Alongside the significant grant funding provided by HNIP and HNDU, Cambridgeshire County Council have made a strategic investment in the project.
Cambridgeshire County Council own the energy company and heat network assets. The council are responsible for the operation and management of the heat network, as well as the customer services and billing to customers. Technical partner Bouygues Energies & Services has been appointed for the contractual responsibility of technical repair and maintenance. Swaffham Prior’s Heat Network is registered with consumer champion, the Heat Trust.
The Swaffham Prior Heat Network featured in a Cambridge Cleantech – Sustainable Smart Homes – Special Interest Group online meeting in December 2022.