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Our Phase 2 funding from the Rural Community Energy Fund came to an end in March 2023. The full report on our work can be found here.

Executive Summary from report

Derbyshire Dales Community Energy, a Community Benefit Society based in Matlock, has worked with support from Matlock Town Council, Derbyshire Dales District Council and Derbyshire County Council to assemble a portfolio of sites that may host community owned rooftop photovoltaic arrays. 47 sites have been considered in the process, with a final portfolio of seven sites being brought forward. Four of these are confirmed and proceeding toward installation, with a further three sites still under negotiation.

Structural surveys and planning approvals were successfully completed out on all four sites, and a tendering process for an installer was also carried out. Grid connection applications have been submitted for two of the sites with one successfully approved by project close.

Due to considerations of capacity in the local group and concerns about the risk and viability of the small size of the portfolio of confirmed sites, Derbyshire Dales Community Energy took the decision to develop the sites through the Big Solar Co-op. The Big Solar Co-op is a nationwide carbon-first non-profit working to install and operate PV arrays on sites across the UK.

This had several implications for the project as initially defined: whilst there would still be local raising of share capital, these shares would be in the national co-operative. Installation and procurement would be done through the Big Solar Co-op’s pipeline, although pledges were secured to use local contractors and to develop sites for local community benefit that might not be viable if considered in isolation.

As a result of this project, at least two community owned PV arrays will be installed in Derbyshire Dales this calendar year, with more to follow. A community energy network has been established across Derbyshire and the county and community are rapidly expanding its ambitions.

National Grid’s Net Zero Communities Forum is holding an online event on 31 March at 13:30. This will enable you to understand and learn more about the challenge of decarbonising our homes and what the upcoming changes to connection charges might mean. In this forum we are going to be hearing from:

1. Regen’s Head of Demand and Flexibility, Becky Ford, on the key challenges of net zero and decarbonising domestic homes.
2. Ian Cairns from the University of Strathclyde who has worked on a project looking to understand how the relationship householders share with their local community shapes retrofit decision making.
3. Kyle Smith from National Grid’s connection team to talk you through the upcoming changes to how National Grid charges for connections, including how these may help your projects.

As always in these sessions, we will have breakout groups for you to learn from each other and the experts, as well as ample opportunity to ask questions to any of the speakers.

If you have any questions around the forum, or any accessibility needs, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Sign up to the forum here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMsde2opz8tHtJb6dxS3SVFPskfFIjvygK_

We are pleased to announce that our partner, the Big Solar Co-op, has now relaunched its share offer with improved terms (5% interest). Their first share offer ended in December 2022 with a total raised of £840k. They are progressing some very promising solar sites and they need to make sure we have the funds in place to finance them.

Amongst these sites are the ones that we, at DDCE, have been working on with the Big Solar Co-op. By investing in the Big Solar Co-op you will be directly supporting the development of community owned solar PV in the Derbyshire Dales.

You can find details of how to invest here: https://bigsolar.coop/invest/