LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME

[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]


Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

Get weekly updates

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Paypal

Donate via Stripe

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

News Watch Home

People living near windfarms to be offered stakes from £5 to counter opposition 

Credit:  Adam Vaughan | The Guardian | 3 November 2014 | www.theguardian.com ~~

People living near new windfarms will be able to buy a stake in them for as little as £5 under new plans, as part of a fightback by industry to win over opponents of wind turbines.

In a report produced for the Liberal Democrat energy and climate secretary, Ed Davey, renewable energy trade bodies, community energy groups and academics say that major future wind and solar farms should give communities the chance to invest and own as much as a quarter of projects.

Onshore windfarms have proved emotive and politically divisive in the UK, despite polling showing 70% of people would be happy to have one in their local area. The Tory party has promised to pull the plug on onshore windfarm subsidies if it wins the 2015 election.

The new voluntary guidelines from the ‘Shared Ownership Taskforce’ are partly designed to avert the threat of government legislating for community ownership of renewable energy projects, which Davey has warned he would push through if companies do not act.

Maria McCaffery, the chair of the task force and chief executive of trade body RenewableUK, said the move was intended to cement goodwill with existing supporters of wind power but to win over vocal opponents as well.

“We hope with this vehicle to attract some of those that haven’t liked us in the past. There will be people motivated by a financial return, and under present economic circumstances there are not many risk-free ways of getting a decent return.

“We’ve knocked ourselves out to make it an affordable thing. There was a very strong message from the outset that this wasn’t just to be for the wealthy, not just for those who could afford new share certificates for £250.”

The ownership offer will only apply to projects of £2.5m and up, which in the case of onshore windfarms is around 80-90% of developments.

Davey said: “By giving communities the opportunity to buy in and benefit from renewable energy developments in their area, they can play their part in generating power at a local level which could supply enough electricity for 1m homes by 2020.”

But the suggestion that developers should engage with local people and offer the chance of ownership at the earliest possible stages of a project is not binding and is entirely voluntary for companies.

Renewable energy companies have also raised concerns over the cost of such engagement but the task force report says shared ownership should be “cost neutral”.

Leonie Green, a spokeswoman for the Solar Trade Association, one of the members of the task force, said: “Forming direct financial relationships with communities is exciting, but there are still important unknowns on the costs of some of these approaches.”

McCaffery said companies would likely recoup any costs if the planning system works more quickly as a result of local people being on board.

The report admits some towns and villages might simply be uninterested in taking up the offer of shared ownership, and says developers “should not be judged harshly” by planning officials if that happens.

However, in a statement, McCaffery said: “It’s clear that local authorities will look more favourably on projects where local people are fully engaged and wholeheartedly supportive.”

Source:  Adam Vaughan | The Guardian | 3 November 2014 | www.theguardian.com

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Funding
   Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)
Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI TG TG Share


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook

Wind Watch on Linked In Wind Watch on Mastodon