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Power for People (to sell locally generated renewable energy to local people)

AncientMariner
I am both a County Councillor and a Community Councillor.


Recently an organisation Power for People have asked our Community Council to support the Local Electricity Bill. This would enable Parish, Town or Community Councils to set up their own energy companies to sell locally generated renewable energy to local people.  http://www.hawardencommunitycouncil.gov.uk/Hawarden-CC/UserFiles/Files/Item%209%20Local%20Electricity%20Bill.pdf


Whilst I can accept and understand that if our Community Council wished to install solar panels on our office (it is based in a small bungalow) we could sell the surplus electricity produced. However that would be into the network. It would, no doubt, be an interesting calculation to prove that this surplus electricity was actually consumed locally. The only other option would be to have our own network of distribution cables !


Or has the Director of the organisation who sent the email misunderstood how surplus electricity is sold?  Certainly a council could sell waste heat. in the form of steam or hot water produced by a waste incinerator for local housing or perhaps a sports complex (I am thinking of a swimming pool etc) but for either there would have to be arrangements if no heat or too much available.


Clive
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  • 0
    It seems the jist of the problem they're trying to solve is that any energy company, no matter how small, is currently required to "employ technical specialists and set up bespoke computer systems in order to interface with complex grid balancing codes and network agreements" - which presumably costs pretty penny so making the whole venture completely uneconomic if you're only going to sell a few thousand kWh to a couple of neighbours. I can see a point there - if the Hovis delivery boy's bike had to pay road fund at the same rate as a HGV because both were classed as commercial vehicles, there wouldn't have been many corner shops doing deliveries up cobbled hills.


    On the other hand, if their ambition for having a huge number of such local generators, alltogether providing a signifficant proportion of the nation's electricity needs, and if we don't want to risk having the entire grid collapse under the slightest mishap then presumbly someone is going to have to subject their output to the various grid balancing codes etc. - and somone is going to have to pay for that. So initially at least I'm not sure that a simple exemption from those responsibilities would be sensible.


    Maybe what they need is to create their own organisation to do what's needed once, on behalf of all the little local generators across the country, and gain the economies of scale that way. Although you don't have to go far down that route to be able to call such an organisation just another energy supplier company - or even just tag the operation onto the side of one of the existing companies - I can think of a couple at least off the top of my head that already specialize in rewables. Which then perhap suggests than a change in the legislative structure isn't really needed.


    (or I might have the wrong end of the electrode, again)


      -  Andy.
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  • 0
    It seems the jist of the problem they're trying to solve is that any energy company, no matter how small, is currently required to "employ technical specialists and set up bespoke computer systems in order to interface with complex grid balancing codes and network agreements" - which presumably costs pretty penny so making the whole venture completely uneconomic if you're only going to sell a few thousand kWh to a couple of neighbours. I can see a point there - if the Hovis delivery boy's bike had to pay road fund at the same rate as a HGV because both were classed as commercial vehicles, there wouldn't have been many corner shops doing deliveries up cobbled hills.


    On the other hand, if their ambition for having a huge number of such local generators, alltogether providing a signifficant proportion of the nation's electricity needs, and if we don't want to risk having the entire grid collapse under the slightest mishap then presumbly someone is going to have to subject their output to the various grid balancing codes etc. - and somone is going to have to pay for that. So initially at least I'm not sure that a simple exemption from those responsibilities would be sensible.


    Maybe what they need is to create their own organisation to do what's needed once, on behalf of all the little local generators across the country, and gain the economies of scale that way. Although you don't have to go far down that route to be able to call such an organisation just another energy supplier company - or even just tag the operation onto the side of one of the existing companies - I can think of a couple at least off the top of my head that already specialize in rewables. Which then perhap suggests than a change in the legislative structure isn't really needed.


    (or I might have the wrong end of the electrode, again)


      -  Andy.
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