The DCarb meeting on 27th June mainly focussed on:

• improving home energy efficiency and reducing household carbon emissions
• Emma Appleton’s update about Calderdale’s Energy Future progress 
• Polly’s update on Calderdale Community Energy and Power from the Landscape

Calderdale Community Energy, a new community benefit society being set up by the Alternative Technology Centre /Calderdale Council, has been on hold with lots of legalities to sort out. Another meeting is to go ahead next week with Co-operatives UK.

There is a lot of support for CCE from Calderdale Council officers. 

Two or three community renewables groups have come to CCE for advice about getting involved.

Power from the Landscape

The Power from the Landscape micro hydro project, partly funded by the Technology Strategy Board, to install turbines at 8 sites in the area, is steaming ahead.

York Council is installing solar pv on hundreds of council houses.  Councils are also carrying out large scale solar pv schemes in Wakefield, Bolton and Wrexham.

The only way Calderdale could do this is through Pennine 2000.

There were more or less downbeat predictions about about the likely effectiveness of the Green Deal. DCarb asked for Calderdale Council to keep it informed of Council/Leeds City Region progress in deciding what its role is going to be in relation to the Green Deal, including progress on LCR local authorities becoming a Green Deal Provider.

The Department for Energy & Climate Change (DECC) has just issued information about how it’s going to support small & medium enterprises to get work as Green Deal assessors and installers. (DECC. The Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation: Government Response to the November 2011 Consultation. June 2012)

Calderdale College is interested in being part of a consortium to train small businesses in Green Deal work.  The College has applied for funding from the Yorkshire & Humber ERDF Competiveness Programme 2007-2013,  to set up a Sustainable & Environmental Technologies Centre. The total cost of the project is estimated at over £6m.

Energy Royd is planning to campaign for a Calderdale Green Jobs Alliance  and for support for the Energy Bill Revolution campaign. In contrast to the Green Deal, the Energy Bill Revolution campaign is asking the UK government to use carbon tax revenues to pay for a publicly-funded home insulation and energy efficiency improvement programme.