News

We’re holding a second litter pick session along with some hedgerow maintenance work on Sat Nov 30th.  SY13 2HA, (just off A41 south of Prees Heath roundabout).  Please join us and hear more about our plans for the solar farm and other projects.

If you’re interested in joining us please email  info@stcenergy.org.uk so we can get a feel for numbers, thankyou. We hope to have lunch together afterwards.

The rest of our November newsletter is here https://stcenergy.org.uk/newsletter/

A Huge Boost for Community Energy – Are We Ready?

The new Government has promised ‘the biggest expansion in Community Energy in British history’.  GB Energy is poised to offer finance to Local Authorities and low interest loans to community-based energy schemes.  This is very exciting, but the question is – are we ready for this?  STCE is in a strong position with the ownership of Twemlows and the income it generates, at our last AGM we had a good turnout with 16 people and we had 12 attend our litter pick in July.  However, the five existing Directors are fully engaged keeping the society going, including managing Twemlows and the grant funds for the Bishop’s Castle project plus helping to run Community Energy Together.  We could really do with some added input to take advantage of new opportunities arising, please fill in our short survey here.. here

ps our full Sept 24 newsletter is available here

We have 20 bird boxes ready for fitting at Twemlows as part of the  biodiversity programme being developed by Mark Latham.  Thanks to Telford Mens Shed for their help with this project.

We are organising a site litter pick at Twemlows on 28th July in partnership with Shrewsbury Friends of the Earth.

Meet at the site, SY13 2HA (just off A41 south of Prees heath roundabout) at 11am, bring good gloves if you have them, we’ll be providing litter pickers, some gloves and bags. Bring a flask and lunch.

After litter picking STCE directors will explain how the site and the society work and what plans we have for improving biodiversity on the site. We look forward to seeing you there.

Following a successful Community Energy Fund (CEF) application, STCE are pleased to be able to continue with the development work for the Bishop’s Castle Heat and Wind project.

This is the press release:

“The Bishop’s Castle Wind Turbine-powered Community Heat project has been awarded a substantial grant to carry out further studies.  The work will include Ecology and Technical studies, and obtaining ’expressions of interest’ from the Town’s householders, organisations and businesses –  including the Community College and SpArC, who wish to be connected to the Heat Network.
The project will be managed by Dave Green of Sharenergy who said “this is a fantastic step forward for this exciting ground-breaking project which has gathered substantial local support”.  He added that “the £100,000 grant has been awarded to Shropshire and Telford Community Energy in partnership with Light Foot Enterprises, the environmental charity based in Bishop’s Castle.  The money comes from the Government’s Community Energy Fund, run locally by the Midlands Net Zero Hub.”
The project recently featured on Channel 4’s ‘The Great Climate Fight’.  Since that programme aired Shropshire Council has given the go ahead for a planning application to be made for the Wind Turbine.  It is hoped that this planning application can be submitted later this year on completion of the studies.
Mike Watkins, Light Foot’s local co-ordinator, added, “there’s a mountain of detailed work to be done on this complex project which requires the involvement of a wide range of experts.  The work is planned to be completed by the end of this year, and our first step will then be to present it to the Bishop’s Castle community before we submit a planning application for the Wind Turbine”.”

For more details go to BC Heat Network – Lightfoot Enterprise

Light Foot e-mail:  climateaction@lightfootenterprises.org.uk

Facebook

@bcclimateaction

 

STCE are delighted to announce completion of the purchase of Twemlows solar farm, bringing it  into community ownership. We would like to thank all of you that invested in our share offer to realise this long held ambition.

In 2023, Shropshire and Telford Community Energy (STCE) raised £294k in share capital to bring Twemlows solar farm into community ownership, as part of a portfolio called Community Energy Together.

UK solar farms with a collective capacity of 36MWp have been transferred into community ownership, increasing England and Wales’s community solar capacity by one fifth, collectively generating enough energy to power almost 13,000 homes.

This is expected provide over £20m in forecast community benefit funding from surplus revenues, which will be used to support local programmes addressing important issues such as homelessness, food and fuel poverty, education and climate action while supporting the UK’s transition to net zero.

The other groups are Gower Power, Kent Community Energy, Wight Community Energy and Yealm Community Energy.

The handover is the culmination of a process by which the groups have taken ownership of solar assets in their community.

The deal has been facilitated by Community Owned Renewable Energy (CORE), a partnership between the UK’s leading social impact investor Big Society Capital and Power to Change an independent trust that shapes the conditions for community business to thrive.

Designed and managed by the UK’s leading environmental impact investment advisor and fund manager, Finance Earth, the closure of the fund marks the successful realisation of its initial purpose of facilitating community ownership of renewable assets and creating funding streams for wider social change.

The partners see community ownership as a vital part of the UK’s journey to Net Zero, with clean energy sources, energy security and funding opportunities to combat social issues all increasing from deals such as this.

Energy security has been a pressing political issue as volatility of gas prices and availability have seen record profits for energy companies and spiralling costs for consumers.

Community Energy Together chair, Leila Ferraby said: “Through the innovative creation of CORE and the successful completion of this transaction, Big Society Capital and Power to Change generated a once in lifetime opportunity for five communities in England and Wales to secure ownership of ground mounted solar farms that generate clean, green, renewable energy and deliver significant surplus funds over the assets’ lifetimes to a wide range of local community projects.”

Big Society Capital Investment Director, Joe Shamash added: “This transfer is testament to the potential that community energy has to help the UK reach its net zero targets in a way that benefits local communities throughout the country.

“We are so pleased to have helped communities take ownership of solar farms that deliver the multiple benefits of energy security, a cleaner planet and funding for local community projects.”

Sharenergy has supported STCE though the development of this project, and are managing the Twemlows share register.

 

A thriving Shropshire business today urged companies to follow its lead and invest in shares in a county solar farm.

Shrewsbury-based sustainable digital marketing agency GrowRoom says investing in the Twemlows solar farm near Whitchurch means it is delivering on its mission to support environmental projects which are doing good for the local community.

GrowRoom co-founder Sam Jacobs called on other businesses to also throw their weight behind the share offer to show their commitment to sustainability and good causes across the county.

Community Benefit Society Shropshire and Telford Community Energy STCE has already raised more than £234,000 after launching its share offer in Twemlows, a 10MW solar farm which can power the equivalent of 3,400 homes, two months ago.

STCE says the offer could raise as much as £4.5million in community benefit over the next 18 years and give a targeted return of six per cent to investors whilst saving more than 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.

Sam said investing in Twemlows made strong business sense for GrowRoom, a results-driven digital marketing agency launched last year to help responsible brands to grow online.

“As a sustainably-focussed digital agency, GrowRoom are eager to support environmental projects that are doing good for the local community. We already support sustainable projects worldwide, including donating at least 3% of revenue to environmental projects such as the Eden Reforestation Project, but we feel it’s our social responsibility to support local projects too.

“Although there is a potential for financial return, that’s not the main purpose of our investment, but more of an added bonus. The main purpose of our investment is to benefit the local community, and further support sustainability projects.

“I think this offer should be of interest to all businesses across Shropshire. Investing in STCE’s community-owned solar farm will help them build positive relationships with the local community, while also reflecting a strong commitment to social and environmental responsibility.”

Dave Green, from STCE, said he was delighted to welcome GrowRoom as an investor.

“The share offer has met with an enthusiastic response from our local business community for exactly the reasons Sam has outlined.

“It represents an excellent opportunity for businesses to help the environment, make a real contribution to fighting climate change, generate funding for a wide range of community projects and also offers a fair target return for their investment.”

STCE is one of five community energy groups from across England and Wales to have joined forces under the Community Energy Together banner to launch share offers for a total of seven operational solar farms in the first scheme of its kind in the UK.

Overall, the Community Energy Together programme will save a combined 317,000 tonnes of CO2 over the lifetimes of the solar farms, which have a collective capacity of 36MW – enough to power the equivalent of 12,750 homes.

To find out more about GrowRoom and the environmental projects they support, visit: https://growroom.agency/

Our share offer has now received over £150,000 of investment!

For more information, see the Ethex website

Opportunity for businesses to invest in share offer press release

5th September 2023

A scheme to take a Shropshire solar farm into community ownership offers an ideal opportunity for county businesses to make a long-term ethical investment, the society behind the offer said today.

Community Benefit Society Shropshire and Telford Community Energy (STCE) says its share offer for Twemlows solar farm gives companies the chance to demonstrate their environmental credentials, help generate vital funds for their local community and receive a targeted six per cent return on their investment.

STCE has already raised more than £150,000 less than a month after launching its share offer in Twemlows, a 10MW solar farm on the edge of Whitchurch which can power the equivalent of 3,400 homes.

Dave Green, from STCE, said businesses would benefit in a number of ways from investing in the offer, which remains open until the end of October.

“We believe the Twemlows share offer represents the perfect opportunity for businesses to invest in something which helps the environment, makes a real contribution to fighting climate change, generates funding for a wide range of community projects and also offers a fair target return for their investment.

“At a time when companies are increasingly being judged on their corporate social responsibility and their ESG – environmental, social and governance – this is the perfect chance for them to make a real contribution to the planet and their community.”

Since it began operating in 2016, Twemlows has helped save more than 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year and generated nearly £100,000 of community funding to date.

Dave added: “Bringing Twemlows into community ownership will not only guarantee the environmental benefits of renewable power for the lifetime of the solar farm, it will enable us to distribute around £4.5million in community benefit over the next 18 years.

“That – and the six per cent targeted return – is a real win-win for any company which chooses to invest.”

Investments start from £250 with a £100,000 ceiling and generate an interest-only return for the first five years, moving to a return of capital plus interest in years six to ten.

Each investor becomes a member of STCE on a one-member one-vote basis.

STCE is one of five community energy groups from across England and Wales to have joined forces under the Community Energy Together banner to launch share offers for a total of seven operational solar farms in the first scheme of its kind in the UK.

Overall, the Community Energy Together programme will save a combined 317,000 tonnes of CO2 over the lifetimes of the solar farms, which have a collective capacity of 36MW – enough to power the equivalent of 12,750 homes.

Bringing the seven solar farms into community ownership will increase the capacity of community owned solar energy in England and Wales by approximately 20 per cent. Over the projects’ lifetime it will generate a collective community benefit fund of around £20 million to support local social and environmental projects and develop new community renewable projects.

Share offer launch press release 9th August 2023

The five STCE directors at the Launch event on the 8th August. L to R – Mark Latham, Fran Hunt, Robert Saunders, Howard Betts and Dave Green

A share offer to transfer a successful Shropshire solar farm into community ownership – and help generate millions of pounds to fund local projects – has already raised nearly £60,000. Community Benefit Society Shropshire and Telford Community Energy (STCE) formally launched the offer for Twemlows solar farm at a special event next to the site near Whitchurch yesterday (August 8).

The offer, which has been live for a week, has already attracted 24 investors and raised £57,170.

The share offer will enable local people who care about climate change to put their money to work to tackle the issue directly, earn a fair return on their investment, and greatly increase the solar farm’s economic contribution to the local area.

STCE is one of five community energy groups from across England and Wales to have joined forces under the Community Energy Together banner to launch share offers for a total of seven operational solar farms in the first scheme of its kind in the UK.

Twemlows has been operating successfully since 2016. It is a 10MW solar farm which can power the equivalent of 3,400 homes, helping save more than 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year and which has generated nearly £100,000 of community funding to date.

Dave Green, from STCE, said the launch represented a huge opportunity for people to get involved in the transition to Net Zero and massively increase the amount of money the Twemlows site would generate for community projects.

“This is a really exciting day for STCE and Twemlows solar farm.  The share offer means individuals will be able to invest directly and earn a fair target return of 6% with a low minimum investment of £250 – whilst supporting a vital source of green energy and helping to raise cash for some fantastic community projects.

“Our target is to raise £730,000. Bringing Twemlows into community ownership will enable us to distribute around £4.5million in community benefit over the next 18 years, including setting up new community energy schemes.

“The Twemlows share offer is not just supporting a cleaner, greener and fairer future, it will directly benefit local community projects for many years to come.”

STCE chair, Robert Saunders, added: “Community owned energy gives individuals the vital opportunity to play a part in the clean energy transition beyond just being a consumer. STCE is in great company with four like-minded Community Benefit Societies. Whilst owning our individual solar farms, we are committed to working together and supporting each other so that we can benefit from each other’s expertise, experience and share knowledge and lessons along the way.”

Overall, Community Energy Together will fund the transfer of seven operational solar farms into community ownership, saving a combined 317,000 tonnes of CO2 over the lifetimes of the solar farms, which have a collective capacity of 36MW – enough to power the equivalent of 12,750 homes.

Bringing the seven solar farms into community ownership will increase the capacity of community owned solar energy in England and Wales by approximately 20%. Over the projects’ lifetime it will generate a collective community benefit fund of around £20 million to support local social and environmental projects and develop new community renewable projects.

An innovative cross-collateralised finance model has been created by the current owner of the solar farm portfolio, Community Owned Renewable Energy (CORE), a partnership set up by Big Society Capital and Power to Change to oversee the transfer of solar farms into community ownership. The model reduces the cost of borrowing and spreads risk, thereby increasing the size of the community benefit pot.

The Twemlows share offer is now live on positive investment platform Ethex here: https://www.ethex.org.uk/invest/stce