Monday 14 July 2014

£500k sum handed to rural green energy projects

A “green” heating scheme to power a Cumbrian primary school and a market town planning solar panels for commercial buildings are just two of 30 projects to bag cash from the Government’s Rural Community Energy Fund.

So far £500,000 has been handed out to local renewable energy projects across England.

Alongside the community scale anaerobic digestion and solar power, other technologies backed include hydro and wind.

Waste body WRAP runs the £15 million Rural Community Energy Fund created by DECC and DEFRA. More projects are to get cash in the six year scheme.

Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker said: “I want to see more communities becoming producers of energy – powering schools, market towns and community centres sustainably – and boosting their economy at the same time.”

Richard Swannell, Director at WRAP added: “RCEF is helping communities to not only think about renewable energy but achieve it and reap the benefits locally."