Energy and Climate Change Minister's visit to CoRE highlights the importance of community-based approaches to climate change

(06/08/2009)

Community Renewable Energy (CoRE) in Northumberland is a co-operative that helps voluntary and community groups set up community-owned renewable energy plants that generate a sustainable income. It also aims to promote, develop, manage and grow community owned profitable renewable energy systems in partnership with community based organisations.

Energy and Climate Change Minister, Joan Ruddock, visited CoRE this week, to help support and highlight the importance of community-based approaches to climate change. During the visit, the Minister was shown how CoRE projects are exploring ways of generating energy from everyday waste. She visited one ground-breaking initiative in Alnwick, where 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.

Impressed with the enthusiasm of everyone involved in the research project in Alnwick, Joan Ruddock said: “We need local, on-the-ground solutions to engage communities in the challenge of climate change, and the work of CoRE is helping to make this a reality. CoRE has already had significant success in a number of renewable energy schemes across the North East, which is why the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) recently awarded the organisation a £20,000 grant under the Big Green Challenge.”

Dame Pauline Green, Chief Executive of Co-operativesUK, said: “The Minister’s support for a co-operative approach to renewable energy follows similar government commitments. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (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 months’ Renewable Energy Strategy sets out the government’s support for co-operative and community owned renewable energy.”

Manger of CoRE, Ross Weddle, said: “CoRE is a regionally based national pilot project, backed by One North East Regional Development Agency (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.”

Related categories:  Biodegradable waste   Biofuels and biomass