CRIF

I am pleased to let you know that the Cambridgeshire Renewables Infrastructure Framework  was approved by Councillors at the Project Steering Group on 27th January 2012. The local planning authorities present at the meeting identified that the report will be taken to Cabinet or relevant committees for adoption during March 2012. It is hoped that the CRIF will then provide evidence alongside other key pieces of work to help inform the development of  planning policies for renewable energy.

At the same meeting, the Cambridgeshire Community Energy Fund (s) report was signed off. This report identifies how  Community Energy Funds proposed under Zero Carbon Policy for new Homes as part of the draft Allowable Solutions Framework can  help developers meet their carbon obligations on new sites and how Cambridgeshire can use this investment to support local energy schemes.  The executive summary is available below and the full technical report is available if you contact me directly on sheryl.french@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

I wish to thank all the people who have contributed to the CRIF Project whether this is through attending meetings, events, completing questionnaires, email or discussion – your inputs have helped shape the CRIF and make it a document that we can be proud of and more importantly can deliver the energy security needed for Cambridgeshire to ensure that we can remain a strong and buoyant economy. The work on the CRIF and the CEF has been paid for by Housing Growth Funds and Climate Change Skills Funds and this has provided the opportunity to engage technical experts Camco, Element Energy and Public-I whose contributions have been invaluable. In addition, the work undertaken by the CRIF and CEF will be shared more widely with colleagues across the East of England to share learning and a model for how to do this. Sustainability East  are working with Public-I to ensure the learning is captured by the public sector and to facilitate more Renewable Energy Frameworks coming forward.

We all know that the production of a report or a framework is not an end in itself. The key to the success of the CRIF project is how the community, businesses and the public sector now mobilise themselves to take forward the ambitions and really demonstrate delivery on the ground. I look forward to seeing this take shape over the next years and hopefully experience local energy production to boil my kettle and heat my water.

Kind regards

Sheryl French

CRIF and CEF Delivery Manager

Yesterday Councillors from across Cambridgeshire were updated on the Community Energy Fund for Cambridgeshire.  Below is the agenda and briefing note.

The recent changes to funding arrangements and financial incentives in support of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies have changed the options for community groups and others to engage in small-scale renewable energy projects in their area.

BRE, supported by the BIG Lottery Fund, are working to raise the regional profile of renewable energy technologies and provide a forum for sharing knowledge and empowering local groups to develop and engage with local energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

BRE will be running a series free workshops across England, including one on 29th March in Peterborough. Delegates can expect to gain an understanding of the current energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies available and how and where they can be effectively deployed.

For further infomation and booking visit the BRE website.

Progress on the Cambridgeshire Renewables Infrastructure Framework (CRIF) and Community Energy Fund (CEF) Projects was presented to the Steering Group on the 19th December 2011. The Steering Group comprises leaders and/or portfolio holders of the Cambridgeshire Local Authorities plus nominations from Registered Social Landlords, the Environment Agency and Developers. The paper and presentations to the Steering Group on the 19th December can be found below.

The final meeting of the Steering Group will be on 27th January 2012 and the CRIF and CEF Reports will be signed off. The CRIF Report will be made up of the following:

• Baseline assessment of what energy is required in Cambridgeshire up to 2031
• Financial analysis and delivery pathways to attract £6billion of investment in Cambridgeshire’s Clean Tech Sector
• Dialogue and engagement with stakeholders – what you told us about renewable energy and the issues you faced

The draft financial analysis and delivery pathways document will be added to the blog soon and we would like your comments.  Developing the action plans is really key. If we get these right and all stakeholders take responsibility for their delivery we can transform our local economy and our ability to compete in the global market for generations to come.

Sheryl French

CRIF Delivery Manager

Below are the notes from the CRIF community workshop in October written by Sarah Gaunt from National Energy Foundation (NEF)