Awel Aman Tawe is a pioneering community energy charity based in South Wales.

In this Podcast we meet Dan McCallum, one of the founders of Awel Aman Tawe and the person responsible for the day-to-day operations of the organisation.

He talks about the journey the group has been on since 1998 and how Awel Aman Tawe is working to make a difference to the lives of people at the top of the Swansea and Amman Valleys.

The group aims to bring clean electricity, jobs and regeneration to the villages near the Mynydd y Gwrhyd. It has planning permission to build a two-turbine community wind farm high up on the Gwrhyd, a £6million asset that will bring low carbon energy and construction contracts to the area, together with an annual income stream from the sale of electricity of some £200,000 that will help to fund local projects.

This podcast has been made with support from Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and is part of Regen's ongoing programme to support community energy.

If you would like to know more about Regen's tools, resources and upcoming events, please visit www.regensw.co.uk

Community Energy Podcast - The Work of Awel Aman Tawe

Community Energy Groups are pioneering new ways of working within our energy system. Working with Distribution Network Operators to trial new projects is one of these ways.

The way we generate electricity is changing from a centralised system with a handful of large power stations, to a distributed network of over one million smaller renewable energy generators. Demand for electricity could double by 2050, and the way we are using it will be different, for example the amount of battery storage is set to increase, and more of us will be using electric vehicles.

All this creates challenges for the national grid and distribution network operators (DNOs) who have to balance supply and demand to make sure the lights stay on.

In this Podcast Chloe Uden speaks to Jodie Giles, Regen's Community Energy project manager about why Distribution network operators want to work with community energy groups and what communities can hope for as part of their involvement.

This podcast has been made with support from Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and is part of Regen's ongoing programme to support community energy.

If you would like to know more about Regen's tools, resources and upcoming events, please visit www.regensw.co.uk

Regen's report - Engaging communities in network innovation: https://www.regensw.co.uk/rough-guide-to-engaging-communities-in-energy-network-innovation

Artwork by Pat Cullum http://www.patrickcullum.com/

Community Energy Podcast - Engaging Communities in Network Innovation

Community Energy Groups can offer a wide variety of support for people in their localities.

In this Podcast Chloe Uden speaks to Alistair MacPherson the CEO at Plymouth Energy Community about the history of the group, the projects they've done and what the short and medium term future looks like for them.

Plymouth Energy Community gives the people of Plymouth the power to transform how they buy, use and generate power in the city. Working together as a community we have the power to change our energy future for the better. In essence, it’s all about people power.

Their work focuses around three core energy goals:
Reducing energy bills
Improving energy efficiency
Generating a green energy supply in the city

Through working with a number of organisations, they have created tools and relationships to help our community achieve these three energy goals. By raising awareness and understanding the energy options available to everyone, they are giving their community knowledge and power to take action.

Plymouth is a really good example of how important and valuable it is for a Community Energy Group to have close links to their local authority.

This podcast has been made with support from Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and is part of Regen's ongoing programme to support community energy.

If you would like to know more about Regen's tools, resources and upcoming events, please visit www.regensw.co.uk

http://www.plymouthenergycommunity.com

Artwork by Pat Cullum www.patrickcullum.com/

Community Energy Podcast - Plymouth Energy Community

In this Podcast Chloe Uden speaks to Jodie Giles, Regen's Community Energy project manager about how and why groups are developing strategies for engaging their communities.

Jodie is a senior project manager responsible for the delivery of Regen’s community energy support programme. Jodie engages with communities, developers and the wider renewable energy industry to support communities in the development of sustainable energy projects.

Jodie has ten years’ experience working in community engagement. She joined Regen from the Eden Project where she worked on community resilience, bulk energy buying, neighbourhood planning and social inclusion projects.

This podcast has been made with support from Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and is part of Regen's ongoing programme to support community energy.

www.regensw.co.uk

Artwork by Pat Cullum www.patrickcullum.com/

Community Energy Podcast - Engagement strategies

South East London Community Energy is a not-for-profit social enterprise. Formed by residents of Greenwich and Lewisham who want to play an active role in shaping the energy future of South East London, SELCE is taking action to combat climate change through generating renewable energy and tackle fuel poverty by providing advice and support for those struggling to pay their fuel bills and keep their homes warm in winter . SELCE aims to speed-up the renewable energy revolution by capitalising on the power of community!

In this podcast we meet Giovanna Speciale  and Alex Hart, two of the Directors at SELCE.

They talk about some of the thinking SELCE went through when considering a heat project in the heart of London and some of the questions that this poses in an urban centre.

This podcast has been made with support from Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and is part of Regen's ongoing programme to support community energy.

If you would like to know more about Regen's tools, resources and upcoming events, please visit www.regensw.co.uk

www.selce.org.uk

Community Energy Podcast - South East London Community Energy

Chloe Uden speaks to Jodie Giles and others at The Community Energy Spring Gathering and we see how bringing these groups together to share knowledge, advice and experience is vital to supporting a move to a more democratic, decentralised energy system.

Regen's Community Energy Accelerator was a three year project funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, and aimed to speed up the delivery of community energy. Regen did this by running a network of over 200 community energy groups and providing one-one technical and engagement support to 32 communities in our network. 

Regen's work enables community energy groups to share learning about innovative models, recognise and harness the resources they need, build partnerships, and engage the skills and commitment of their whole community.

Through the Community Energy Accelerator, Regen have:

Provided over 500 hours of one-one project development support to 32 community energy groups
Run a peer network of over 200 community energy groups
Sent 125 news updates on funding, policy, and stories that affect the sector

Delivered 38 training and networking events, with 3673 participants
Developed and shared community guidance, toolkits and resources
Facilitated partnerships between businesses, local authorities and communities

To find out more about Regen's work and resources visit www.regensw.co.uk

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