A MULTI MILLION pot will offer loans of up to £150,000 to local organisations for community renewable energy projects
Not only will the projects supply the local area with clean, green energy it will also provide community with jobs and investment opportunities.
The lump sums will also encourage local people to engage with renewable energy and enable them to discover the benefits renewables bring to communities..
The money will come from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to provide loans to rural communities to help them undertake the initial development work for renewable energy schemes.
The fund will be available to rural communities (defined by National Statistics as areas with less than 10,000 population) in England and should be available from this month (June 2013).
Funding is available for the following technologies:
· Ground and Air Source Heat Pumps
· Solar Photovoltaic Panels
· Micro Wind Turbines
· Micro Hydropower
· Fossil Fuel Combined Heat and Power (CHP) units
· Biomass, bio liquids and biogas including anaerobic digestion and bio-CHP
· Low carbon/renewable heat networks powered by one or some combination of the above.
However, the money is just a loan and communities will have to contribute to the cost of the work and meet clear criteria to obtain the loan and demonstrate their commitment.
