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North East communities awarded further funding for development of renewable energy projects

Four projects in the North East have received funding from the North East and Yorkshire (NEY) Net Zero Hub to help power renewable energy schemes in rural communities.

Humsaugh Net Zero CIC; Haltwhistle Partnership; Norham Community Energy Project; and Smart Connected Renewable Community Energy have all been awarded funding from the Rural Community Energy Fund (RCEF), a £10 million national programme which supported rural communities to develop renewable energy projects.

As Andrew Clark, Energy Sector Lead at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP) explains, the four projects have received funding left over from underspend in other parts of the country: “RCEF actually came to an end in October 2021 but, due to the fact that the North East has shown a strong demand from communities for developing renewable energy projects, we were able to secure this extra funding from underspend elsewhere in the country.”

The funding is managed by the North East and Yorkshire Net Zero Hub, and the North East LEP supported with the allocation of funding to projects in the North East.

  • Humshaugh Net Zero CIC has been awarded £67,000 to develop a solar PV electricity generation facility to be ready to build in 2023. Solar PV was identified in the RCEF 1 Phase 2 study as a viable solution following a comprehensive independent review of low carbon energy generation options for the Parish of Humshaugh.
  • Haltwhistle Swimming and Leisure Centre secured £53,320 to enable the completion of all necessary pre-development work needed to progress with their work into utilising heat from water flowing through underground mines to contribute to heating their pool, which could potentially provide heat for adjacent sites. 
  • Norham Community Energy Project was provided with an additional £34,973 to employ a qualified and experienced consultancy to investigate the community energy requirements, research the local renewable energy generation opportunities, and advise on the relative feasibility of the options available.
  • And Smart Connected Renewable Community Energy (CAN) received £94,060 to progress the installation of solar panels and associated battery storage at 19 community buildings which were surveyed during stage one of their project using funding from their initial RCEF award.

NEY Hub Manager, Karen Oliver-Spry, said “It’s great to see such interesting, varied and beneficial projects being supported by the NEY Net Zero Hub. There is so much potential for communities to take control of energy in their localities to make it greener, more sustainable and more affordable for local people. These are brilliant examples which I hope will inspire others to try something similar.”

Andrew Clark added: “Community energy is a key theme in the North East Energy for Growth strategy, which lays out how we will drive economic growth in our region while also delivering on national energy objectives – such as reducing carbon emissions and bringing forward innovative new energy technologies.

“The funding of these four projects means that rural communities in our region can take one step further towards reaping the benefits of renewable energy while creating positive economic outcomes here in the North East.”

Find out more about the RCEF and funded projects at www.neynetzerohub.com and read the North East LEP’s research on next steps in community energy, produced in partnership with the North of Tyne Combine Authority, Durham County Council and South Tyneside Council, here.