1. Community energy in schools
Ben Crystall For Village Halls Conference

2. Mill Mead: small primary school with strong links to community, former pupils and their families2

3. 2013
4 parents,
2 governors…
…and 1 flat roof 3

4. Community energy: people and communities working together to save, generate, purchase, and manage energy, with local people benefiting from the power produced or saved.
Chief Enabler: the “Feed In Tariff”
A subsidy paid by government for every unit or “kilowatt hour” of clean electricity. This enables photovoltaic arrays or wind turbines to generate an income for a community group. Rate is guaranteed for 20 years from the day of installation.

5. Benefits of community energy
Community-owned renewables schemes
“deliver a range of social and economic
benefits to local communities… confidence,
employment and training… increased
autonomy, empowerment, and resilience...
opportunities for education and a strengthened
sense of place”
National Trust, and Community Energy Scotland

6. Specific Benefits for Mill Mead
Help finances at Mill Mead School
Tackle climate change
Community ownership
Invest in our children’s future 6

7. Our Plan: Set up a not-for-profit “BenCom”
Raise capital with a community share offer
Purchase panels, administer the FiT and maintain the PV system
Must cost the school NOTHING
Volunteers on an unpaid basis 7

9. November 2013 Share offer opened 1st November 2013 Aim: 25KW panels
Cost: £45,000
Capital raised in 3 weeks, with 38 members
Investor profile: 1/3 school 2/3 wider community

10. April 2014

11. Panel Performance

12. Over 20 years, community energy will:
Save Mill Mead at least £40,000, and eliminate 220 tonnes of carbon emissions
Create a fund for local projects
All at zero cost to school, EHDC and HCC
Act as a catalyst for further action

13. HEN Phase 2: completed October 2016
Installed a further 33 kilowatts of panels at Hunsdon JMI School near Ware and Morgans Primary School in Hertford. (50+ investors £48000)
Used same financial model (plus a small charge for electricity used by schools)

14. Can community-funded PV still deliver?
Possibly, assuming:
Electricity prices continue to rise rapidly
Building usage is relatively large
Community is willing to fund the panels
The fact that PV panels will last 30 years+
BUT new community funding models are starting to emerge…
Panels could keep going for 35 years or more…

15. Replacing lights with LEDS:
FiT replaced by cost savings produced by switching from conventional lights to LEDs
Uses a contract between community group and Community Centre and or school. (The community group is responsible for the installation, maintenance and repair of LEDs and both partners share in costs savings.) Saves money, saves carbon, saves energy. More at:

16. Questions: