Climate Action 2010-2011

Energy and Mitigation
energy user and the council has also planned an industrial
park in the area, though development has not yet started.
The pre-planning work on this site has now
commenced and no objections from local residents were
raised during a consultation process in the late summer
of 2010. There are some issues to do with the operation
of airports in the vicinity of photovoltaic (PV) sites that
need to be addressed but these are seen as resolvable
during the planning process.
The business case for a solar park is a key element, as
this has gone some way to convincing skeptics that it is
an appropriate scheme for the council to undertake. The
payback on a capital cost around UK£10million is likely
to be less than 10 years and this will leave substantial
surpluses to be reinvested in other green projects featured
in the council’s Green Cornwall programme. The council
is likely to raise the funds from its own sources and so it
was not necessary to consider other financing options.
The benefits to Cornwall
The benefits of a public energy scheme far outweigh
those available from a purely private investment:
• Energy security – Energy supply is a priority in
Cornwall given its westerly location in the UK. It will
become increasingly important as energy prices and
availability fluctuate;
• Cost savings – Savings from increased energy efficiency
and from no longer purchasing grid energy. Cost savings
will increase as prices are predicted to rise in the future.
• Economic development – The creation of new, local
‘green collar’ jobs as renewable energy projects are
constructed in Cornwall.
• Council as a community leader – The bold 2025 pledge
enables the council to take on a sustainability leadership
role under the green agenda.
• Income generation – Renewable energy generation will
create a new income stream for the council.
This means that the benefits of the council undertaking
this project are spread across the community and wider
area, particularly in relation to the local supply chain. It
is also a way for the council to deliver on wider policy
aims, including economic development, carbon emission
reductions and energy efficiency.
Following commissioning and construction of this first
project at Newquay in 2011, the council will review its
solar plans before embarking on the remaining projects
in the series. If all are procured, it will have secured a full
25 per cent of its energy needs from renewable sources
– a significant move towards meeting its target of energy
self sufficiency.
‘Invest to save’ – the future benefits of
renewables
Both national and local government are keen to invest
in the future, particularly in a recession. The council is
able to demonstrate, via the income stream for major
renewable energy projects, that loans can be serviced
and that assets created will have future value. Over and
above this, is the added benefit that some of the higher
income-generating projects will create a surplus which
can be reinvested in other green schemes. In this way, the
solar programme can be the catalyst for more extensive
renewable energy projects in Cornwall and this situation
may well be replicated around the country.
The government’s targets, set down in the Climate
Change Act 2008 will only be reached with radical
action. Whilst the focus to date has been on central
government and the development of its climate change
policy, this now needs to shift towards local government,
where the process of delivery can begin.
Both national and local
government are keen to invest
in the future.
Local government is pivotal to action at every level
in the chain. It can act as community leader, with
influence on other parts of the public sector, such as
the health service or education, and private sector, via
Local Strategic Partnerships. It can influence its own
service provision and the running of its estate, land and
buildings and can also help community groups devise
and implement small-scale renewable energy initiatives
using community buildings.
The wider social and community-building benefits
add to the pure economic benefits of cost savings on
energy and new income generated from council-owned
renewable energy sources.
The stage is now set: many local authorities have
observed the trail blazed by Cornwall Council and have
decided to follow suit in developing a comprehensive
renewable energy strategy. The solar park will open in
autumn 2011 and is just about to start the tendering
process. The wide-ranging benefits of local, clean energy
generation are being seen and should be seized on a local
council level nationwide.
Stephen Cirell is an expert in local government law and
climate change. In August 2009, he joined Cornwall
Council on secondment as Director of their Green
Cornwall programme to lead on all climate change issues.
He is now an independent consultant on climate change.
He has written widely on different aspects of climate
change, including waste management, legal powers to
generate electricity and eco towns. He has worked on the
Local Government Information Unit’s Carbon Trading
Councils project, which is a dry run for carbon trading as
required by the Climate Change Act 2008.
77 Shaftesbury Avenue
Roundhay, Leeds LS8 1DR
UK
Tel: 07774 451 587
Email: stephencirell@me.com
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