23 January 2012

Wey Valley Solar Schools Energy Co-operative - background and update

For some years before 2010 Guildford and Waverley Friends of the Earth group were working with Rodborough School in Milford to get solar panels on their roofs.  Then in 2010, following introduction of the feed in tariff system (FITS) earlier that year, members of the group suggested to the School that it could obtain an array through a community based share offer and the school agreed.  Other members of the community with business and other skills became involved in the project and Wey Valley Solar Schools Energy Co-operative was formed.

The Co-operative launched its share offer and raised its target investment of £670,000 but was badly affected by the Consultation announced by the Government on 31 October which out of the blue proposed that new Feed in tarrif rates would apply from 12 December 2011 rather than 1 April 2012. The Co-operative had a planned programme of works extending into 2012 but expedited the works to get solar panels arrays installed on Godalming 6th Form College, Woolmer Hill School and the remaining panels at Rodborough School before the cut-off date and it was successful. The array at Guildford County School was scheduled for the school's Christmas holidays so due to the uncertainty caused by the FITS consultation this work had to be cancelled.   See Wey Valley Solar Schools own website at www.weyvalleysolar.co.uk for more information. 

THE GUILDFORD AND WAVERLEY YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Guildford and Waverley Friends of the Earth has its own Youtube channel! Click here to go to our very own youtube channel (if the link does not work for any reason the site is www.youtube.com/user/gwfoe)

As a Friends of the Earth local group we are always actively campaigning on a range of environmental issues. Our current campaigns include:-

Feed in tariff

Currently our main campaigning energy is focussed on supporting Wey Valley Solar Schools in its stuggle to get fair treatment from the government on the feed in tariff consultation. If you would like to help please contact Kathy Smyth

Carbon reduction targets

A small group are engaged in lobbying Surrey County Council to adopt an ambitious carbon reduction target of at least 40% by 2020

Waste

Between 2004 and we successfully campaigned to ensure that Waverley Borough Council took enforcement so that a specialist soft fruit farm using Spanish polytunnels on a vaste scale at Tuesley Farm near Godalming who had erected tunnels without applying for planning permission was forced to submit to the planning system so that the landscape and environmental impact could be examined by the planning authority and some degree of control could be exercised. The farmer resisted and was strongly supported by its trade association and the NFU and the case went to the High Court. It has become the leading legal authority on the application of this area of planning law to these structures and the principles it establised are still applied today across England and Wales.