Green Energy Stars celebrate achievements at Award ceremony
South West England’s green energy stars are today (14) celebrating their success as winners of the 2007 South West England Green Energy Awards.

The winners were chosen by an independent panel of judges, with expert knowledge in renewable energy from a high quality shortlist of entrants from across the region. The awards were presented at a gala dinner last night (13th November) at the Winter Gardens in Weston-Super-Mare.

This year Regen SW gave awards in six categories:

• Best Business Innovation
• Most Proactive Local Authority
• Best Sustainable Energy Community
• Best New Renewable Energy Scheme
• Best Housing Scheme
• South West Renewable Energy Champion

The Winners

Best Business Innovation

Treco (Devon)
Treco’s aim is to strip the ‘magic and mystery’ from the biomass market and make changing to renewable fuels both simple and cost effective. The company’s innovative approach includes: the development of the Pod boiler and fuel store ensuring installations are literally “plug and play”; support to allow any solid fuel heating engineer to install Treco products; the use of flexible multi-fuel boilers; and targeting farmers through a nationwide relationship with Countrywide stores. www.treco.co.uk


Most Proactive Local Authority

Devon County Council
Devon County Council fought off stiff competition from both Dorset and Cornwall County Council to win the most proactive local authority award. This is due to provision of funding and support for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects as part of its aspiration to become the greenest county in England. Projects include: Renewable Energy 4 Devon, EnVision, Devon County Council Carbon Management programme and work on Devon County Council schools and other buildings. In its two year operation (from 2006 to 2008) RE4D will more than double the installed base of renewable energy systems in Devon, and to date capital grants totalling £212,000 have been awarded to 42 organisations for the installation of renewable energy technologies and a further 24 feasibility studies grants have been awarded, worth £37,000. Some 43 installations have taken place totalling over 500KW and 29 new jobs have been created in the renewable energy sector. www.re4d.org

Best Sustainable Energy Community

South Wheatley (Cornwall)
South Wheatley Renewable Energy Trust installed Cornwall’s first community-owned wind project in October 2006. The wind turbine will serve 70% of the hamlet’s overall electricity needs and save 20 tonnes of C02 a year. Income from the wind turbine will be used to provide grants to local householders for energy conservation, renewable energy projects and energy conservation education at local schools. So far the whole of the hamlet with the exception of the trustees’ houses (who already had light bulbs installed) have been fitted with low energy light bulbs. The judges were impressed with the efforts of a small community to deliver a renewable energy scheme which could be replicated in other small communities across South West England.

Best New Renewable Energy Scheme

Avonmouth Docks Wind Park (Bristol)
The Avonmouth Docks Wind Park is a first for Bristol and the region. Set in the industrial landscape of the port, the three 2 MW turbines are destined to become a well known landmark, representing a forward thinking region with green issues at the heart of its agenda. The project has bought direct and immediate benefits to the local economy with over 75% of the construction work contracted to South West companies. The wind turbines are the largest renewable energy scheme to be installed in 2007, and the scheme was unanimously approved in 2006 by Bristol City Council’s planning committee. www.ecotricity.co.uk




Best Housing Scheme

Cornhill Estates – Poundbury (Dorset)
Cornhill Estates have built five EcoHomes Excellent Houses and Six EcoHomes Excellent Apartments at Poundbury, Dorchester in a joint venture with The Duchy of Cornwall. This scheme was completed in the spring of 2007 and has achieved the standard of BREEAM EcoHomes Excellent for all the buildings. The houses have achieved in excess of 80 points which makes the scheme one of the highest scoring BREEAM EcoHomes schemes in the United Kingdom for 2007. The scheme is significant because it shows that low carbon homes can be built using traditional design methods, and that Ecohomes can be commercially viable. www.cornhillestates.co.uk

South West Renewable Energy Champion

Tim German - Cornwall Sustainable Energy Partnership (Cornwall)
Tim German is Director of the Cornwall Sustainable Energy Partnership. Tim is championing renewable energy in the region by: raising the region’s profile as a renewable energy leader; moving renewable energy up the economic agenda in Cornwall; sharing best practice and assisting replication regionally, nationally and in Europe. www.csep.co.uk


Matthew Spencer, Chief Executive of Regen SW said:

“The South West has always been good at innovation in renewable energy, but we are finally getting better at delivery. This is crucial because it is the development of the second and third versions of an innovation that decreases the regions carbon footprint, and allows our green energy businesses to grow.

“This year’s green energy award winners have helped to make this difference through their creativity, drive and commitment. The awards show that in Cornwall, Dorset and Devon we now have real momentum around renewable energy.”