How Can Communities Work Together Towards Contributing to the UK’s Net Zero Target?
Amid increasing concerns about climate change, reaching net zero targets has emerged as a beacon of hope on a global scale. But what exactly is ‘Net Zero’, and how did the United Kingdom (UK) come to endorse this as one of its major climate goals? Let’s address this briefly before looking at how communities might help attain this goal.
International Women’s Day: #InvestInWomen through renewable energy
The theme designated by the United Nations (UN) Women for International Women’s Day this year, on March 8th 2024, is “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress”.
Aligned with this call to action, Croydon Community Energy has been examining the pivotal role of renewable energy within the context of #IWD2024 and their overarching #InvestInWomen theme.
The Future of Solar Power
The ability to harness solar power plays a crucial role in the transition to a zero carbon future and reducing the impacts of climate change. They provide a sustainable and clean source of electricity by harnessing the power of sunlight. But how do they work?
Why should you invest in Community Energy?
Community energy projects, such as solar panels on a local school or leisure centre, can help reduce reliance on the National Grid. If community-owned rooftop solar was installed all over our borough, our community sites would have greater energy independence and be less vulnerable to fluctuations in energy prices and supply disruptions.
Croydon Community Energy supports the #StopRosebank campaign!
Rosebank is a proposed oil and gas field, situated 80 miles off Shetland in the North Sea. It is the UK’s largest untapped reservoir of oil and is expected to produce 500 million barrels of oil. The CO2 produced is equivalent to that of the 28 lowest-income countries in the world – or 700 million people. The approval of Rosebank is a disastrous decision by the UK government for many reasons including putting marine life at risk including whales and dolphins, clams that live for hundreds of years, corals and the Faroe-Shetland Sponge Belt and a pipeline will be laid through a Marine-Protected Area. Rosebank would also be the deepest field ever developed on the UK continental shelf because the oil lies over a kilometre under the surface. Excavating Rosebank comes at a high-cost, is dangerous and will pollute our planet.
Fuel Poverty Awareness Day 2023
Thursday 30th November 2023 is National Fuel Poverty Awareness Day, reminding us that we are now two years into the energy crisis with 6.3 million households across the UK in fuel poverty, and no obvious end in sight. Following the absence of any energy bill support for households this winter in the Autumn Statement, and the announcement by Ofgem that the typical bill will go up by nearly £100 in January, your support for our Fuel Poverty Awareness Day has never been more needed.
What is community energy?
Community energy means a group of locally-based people who live in the same areas or neighbourhoods invest their money to build their own energy system, for example by installing solar panels, wind turbines, hydroelectric generation in their residential areas which they can partly or fully own. By building, creating, using and selling their own renewable energy, buildings in Croydon can reduce their cost of living and avoid excessive payments to big energy companies.
Community Energy: A Path Away from Rising Energy Prices
In January of this year, the energy price cap experienced a 5% increase due to the escalating wholesale gas costs, a decision announced by Ofgem two months prior. The purpose of a price cap is to limit the amount that energy suppliers can charge per unit of gas and electricity consumed. However, raising the price cap during periods of heightened heating usage undoubtedly adds to the economic burden of households.