Renewable Energy Advisory Panel

Descriptions

The advisory project (“Ceredigion Sustainable Energy Panel”) will engage with micro enterprises in the county of Ceredigion to draw their attention to opportunities for introducing renewable energy into their operations so as to introduce a new income stream and lower their operating costs. The project is part of the Rural Development Plan delivery in Ceredigion, co-ordinated by Ceredigion County Council on behalf of the Adfywio Ceredigion Regeneration (ACR) Partnership. This project is funded through the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013 which is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, and will run from April 2011 through to November 2013. (WAG funding is expected to be in place in time for the award of contract.)ConceptThe ACR Partnership perceives that many Micro Enterprises in Ceredigion are well situated to invest in renewable energy and benefit from introducing a new income stream into their operations. There are however a myriad of obstacles to deter micro enterprises from taking up these opportunities. Choice of technology, gaining consents, calculating pay back periods, and lack of confidence are all obstacles that can be overcome with suitable advice and support. This is where the concept of a panel of expertise comes in – where a number of experts can be drawn on to give impartial advice on the most practical and financially sound way for a micro enterprise to proceed. The panel needs to be able to advise and make recommendations on all commonly available forms of renewable energy including: •Solar Thermal•Solar PV•Biomass•Wind•Micro Hydro•Anerobic DigestionIt also needs to be able to advise on what consents will be required to undertake an installation and what resources are likely to be needed to achieve these plus give advice on calculating financial returns on the investment and accessing any other financial aid, such as the Feed In Tariffs scheme. The advice and support should be made available on a free of charge basis other than the time commitment required by owners in participating in the scheme, networking with other beneficiaries, undertaking site research work. The advice and support will need to be available promptly when requested, with an initial response within 1 working day followed by any face to face contact within 3 working days. Knowledge of the geography of Ceredigion will help in delivering the service. The advice and support given to micro Enterprises will result in a number of them undertaking modest installations with subsequent modest impacts on their annual income / GVA levels.Scope and size of ProjectThe available funding for implementing the project over the period is a maximum of £217,249. In addition it is a requirement that the service provider will provide additional cash resources that do not come from a European public source of at least £48,467 plus in kind time contributions of at least £16,425 making for an overall project cost of £282,141.The project will commence in April 2011 and be fully completed by November 2013. The service will be confined to micro enterprises located within the boundaries of Ceredigion.Reporting / payment arrangements.Payment will be quarterly in arrears against invoices submitted with evidence to support match funding contributions and achievement of outputs.