What is the Big Green Challenge??

• UK’s biggest ever Climate Change competition

• A 1 year competition in which communities attempt to reduce their carbon emissions by up to 60%.

• The Challenge has a £1 million prize fund

The Present Situation

Our Industrial World

Will we run out of Fresh Water??

Will we run out of Cheap Oil?

Food

• Food prices

• Plough-to-the-Plate environmental burden

• Four figure food miles

• Packaging and waste

• Our lifestyle is Unsustainable!

Oil is Food

• In

• 1940 – Oil to food calorific ratio was 1:1

• In 1970 – Oil to food ratio was 10:1

• In 2008 – Oil to food ratio is over 100:1

Technology will save us!!!

30 years ago people were saying that if we don’t act, we’ll be in trouble.

Well we’re there now

Climate Change in the Brecon Beacons??

How will all of this affect us?

• Upland degradation

• Major impact on Biodiversity

• Fuel Poverty

• Energy Shortages

• Recession

• or even Depression and Economic Collapse

Back to the Challenge

We have made it into the Final350 Communities entered the challenge

We are 1 of 10 UK Communities now vying for the £1 million prize

Our Project Aims

• Renewable Energy

• Mitigate the effects of climate change

• Develop local food Initiatives

• Reduce our reliance on oil (as a heating source and for transport)

• Eliminate Fuel Poverty

• To work with Nature

Renewable Energy Initiative –Just one part of the Big Green Challenge

• Community finance initiative that pays for installation

• Possible finance schemes

– Based on an lease period – after which full ownership reverts to landowner

• Developing Community owned and locally owned installations

Regional Steering Group

• Regional group will decide which new schemes will be financed.

• ‘Chase the Energy’ • Carbon savings and fuel poverty will also play a role• A fair geographical spread• Regional group will have one representative from

each ‘local group’

Does Renewable Energy Work in a National Park?

Talybont Hydro (installed 2006)

36 kW (community owned)

Llangynidyr Hydro (installed Oct 2007)

3.3kW

Abercraf 12.7 kW hydro (installed July 2008)

Abercraf Hydro (2) Installed Aug 2008

3.3kW

Retro-fitting Reservoirs

Reservoirs: • Talybont has been reengineered

• 9 further reservoirs are unused but are very unlikely

• Capability to power = 800 homes: Cost about £900,000

Is this Achievable?

• Feasibility of potential sites will be done by January 2008 through Big Green Challenge funds we have already secured

• Technical problems / barriers will be part of the feasibility requirement

• Can we find the money to install them all?

What have we got going for us?• All communities have potential for installations

• All communities have a high average domestic energy use

• Sparse population and old housing stock

• High transport costs

• Potential for carbon offsetting on uplands

• Many areas in UK could adopt similar model

Program for 2008/9

• Get people to ‘sign-up’– Establish Baseline Carbon Data (end nov 2008)

• Carbon audit all homes for the entire year – To be done monthly from Dec – Sep 2009• Finance community owned hydro scheme• We only have the money to pay for 1 or 2 this year

• Prove that we can invest £1 million wisely

Community Actions for the Year

• Design local energy projects– This is to include project design, costs, and if

possible planning permission and licences

• Assist independent renewable energy installations

• Ensure all homes get first class insulation and efficiency measures either free or at significant discount

• Develop Peat Bog carbon management program for at least 2 degrading bogs

• Provide local grants for installations

• Train local people how to do the installations themselves

• Develop local food growing initiatives

• And more……

Judging Criteria

• Carbon Reduction (%)

• No. of installations

• Community engagement

• Ability to grow

• Possibility to influence policy

• Intangibles….(research etc.)

Once we have done all that…

We’ve got a very good chance of

getting the £1 million

And then the fun begins…

I'd put my money on nature. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait 'til oil and

coal run out before we tackle that.

Thomas Edison

“Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world.

Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.”

Ghandi