Residents from Peasedown St John, Wellow and Shoscombe visited Westmill Solar Park and Wind Farm near Swindon to see community-owned renewable energy in action.
The visit is part of our ongoing Energy in Your Community work in the area and gave residents the opportunity to see an established community-owned energy project first-hand, ask questions and learn from the experience of another community.
They joined around 30 people from Bath and North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and North Somerset, including local councillors, parish councillors and clerks, council climate staff and members of residents' associations and community groups. The visit was organised by the Centre for Sustainable Energy for areas working through their Future Energy Landscapes engagement methodology.
Seeing community energy in action
Participants were able to get close to Westmill's five wind turbines and walk through fields of solar panels, where sheep usually graze alongside the renewable energy development.
Volunteer guides shared Westmill's story, including the long process involved in securing planning permission and a grid connection and developing its co-operative model.
The group also heard how renewable energy technology and the financial landscape have changed since Westmill was developed more than 15 years ago. Participants discussed some of the practical challenges involved in developing community-owned renewable energy, including the importance of long-term commitment, community involvement and strong governance.
Several participants commented on how quiet the wind turbines were when standing close to them.
Continuing the conversation
The site visit followed the recent Choosing Your Energy Future workshop in Peasedown St John, where residents heard about the community engagement so far, looked at initial work exploring potential local community-owned renewable energy opportunities and discussed what could happen next.
The visit provided another opportunity for residents to build their understanding of community-owned renewable energy and see how one established project operates in practice.
Our work in Peasedown, Wellow and Shoscombe remains at an exploratory stage. No decision has been made to develop a community energy project, and any options taken forward would require further community engagement and more detailed technical, environmental and financial feasibility work.
Find out more about Energy in Your Community in Peasedown, Wellow and Shoscombe.
