Community Sustainable Energy Conference 17th April 2010

The Dorset Energy Group held a successful Community Sustainable Energy Conference in the Dorford Centre, Dorchester, on Saturday 17th April 2010, which was attended by 50 people.

The conference was organised to facilitate the development of community scale sustainable energy projects in Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole.

Examples of community projects could be:

* Sustainable energy upgrades of community buildings
* Collaborative projects including households working together
* Commercial scale renewable energy projects with local shareholding and community financial benefits
* Community/ local authority partnerships to deliver the above

The morning was devoted to examples of community projects in Dorset and from further afield, including Totnes Transition Streets, which recently secured £625,000 from the Low Carbon Communities Challenge Fund, and OVESCo, a community based Energy Services Company that developed out of Transition Town Lewes. The afternoon covered sources of help for community projects and financial mechanisms to allow community shareholding.

It was agreed at the Conference to set up a web-based Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole Community Sustainable Energy Network in order to share information. The network will be co-ordinated by da21, subject to securing funding. A working group was set up to develop the proposal.