Forest council leader Mark Topping in his regular column for The Forester
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00:00 [Music]
00:13 Just because the government is backtracking on its commitment to reduce carbon emissions
00:18 doesn't mean we have to. In fact, recent government decisions to support new fossil fuel projects
00:25 and delay the necessary national switch to renewable energy makes it all the more important
00:31 that we do what we can ourselves locally. And that's exactly what's happening in the Forest of Dean.
00:37 A project has begun in Lydney which will enable Forest residents to get actively involved in
00:44 rolling out big rooftop solar installations across the district. At the Dean Academy and
00:51 the Leisure Centre in Lydney, a combined total of 785 PV panels are set to be fitted on the roofs.
00:59 And what's particularly exciting is that a share offer is about to be launched in connection with
01:05 this which will mean local people can part-own the project and help generate the funds for
01:11 similar schemes on suitable big roof buildings throughout the forest. Forest Community Energy
01:19 is the group behind the project. It was recently launched after the Forest of Dean was chosen as
01:25 the only UK site for a European Union-backed renewable energy project known as Aurora.
01:32 Central to Aurora has been to set up a big PV installation and at the same time act as a
01:40 catalyst for future action on reducing carbon emissions. And it's worked. Volunteers stepped
01:48 forward and formed Forest Community Energy, a local group run by local people to work on reducing
01:55 carbon emissions locally. The community energy share offer linked to the Lydney PV installation
02:03 is due to go live in the very near future. It will cost £100 for one share.
02:09 Buying a share is a way for people who can't install renewable energy at home for whatever
02:16 reason to still help make renewable energy happen locally. It's also a way people can help
02:23 keep a community asset viable because PV installations reduce energy costs.
02:29 And of course it's a great way of investing money ethically. Forest Community Energy is also running
02:38 a thermal imaging project which lends the equipment to enable people to track where the heat is
02:44 leaking from in their homes and then provides energy advice on how to fix the problem.
02:49 For more information on the project and how to get involved,
02:54 search online for Forest of Dean Community Energy or Aurora Forest of Dean.
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