Cuckmere Community Solar Company
News and Blogs
The Fruits of Their Labour…
Planting an Orchard in the height of winter on a solar farm in driving rain requires a special type of person, and that recipe was brought together by the Friends of Cuckmere Community Solar and their good hearted neighbours, with Fellows from the RSA South East...
An update on community energy
It is a time of great change and uncertainty for community energy projects in the UK with the implications of Brexit and the recent changes to feed-in-tariffs (FITs). The result of Brexit could be very different depending on whether we end up inside or outside of the single market, but legislation is unlikely to change significantly as most of it is driven by the UK anyway.
Over the last few months feed-in-tariffs (FITs) have dropped and at the moment there is a huge rush to get projects approved before various deadlines coming up this autumn.
News update for Cuckmere Community solar
Cuckmere Community Solar is still with you and still working towards local community-owned renewable energy production.
Sorry for our silence over the last few months, there’s been a lot to do behind the scenes. The government changed policy for renewables and community energy eight times in as many months in 2015, which has presented huge challenges to projects like ours.
But we are far from being dead or accepting defeat and
Berwick Solar Farm site visit
You are invited to come along to a tour of the Berwick solar farm on Thursday 5th November. Meet at the Berwick Inn between 12-2pm and then go for a site visit. We will be joined by Leader of the Green Party, Natalie Bennett and MEP Keith Taylor.
THANK YOU ALL!
Wow! We now have over 100 letters of support for our planning application. That’s fantastic… Thanks to everyone who has written in. Although the response period has formally closed the council has told us they will still accept messages of support to...
Sheep shall safely graze…
The solar farm at Berwick is now fulfilling its multiple missions: of feeding the population, becoming a haven for wildlife and generating clean electricity.
Since the solar farm was commissioned in March last year, grass has been re-sown around the panels, hedges have been planted, and a swift tower and bird boxes have been installed. All these to improve the environment
Community Information Drop-in Event
You are invited to a community information drop-in event to find out about plans to build the first community owned solar farm in Sussex.
Dicker Village Hall, Coldharbour Road
Friday 9th October from 4pm to 8pm
Saturday 10th October from 9am to 12pm
Come and meet the Cuckmere Community Solar Company and find out about this exciting project to build the first community owned solar farm in Sussex. The site is located adjacent to the existing Berwick Solar Farm at
Planning Application
On Friday 18th September, our planning application went live on the Wealden District Council website, under reference “WD/2015/1635/MEA”. You can see the full application on the Wealdon District Council website. The planning application itself is a long document but there are also a Statement of Community Involvement and a Non-Technical Summary which are easy to read and give a clear overview of the solar farm proposal and how we are involving local people in what we are doing. The Statement of Community Involvement
Swift Tower at Berwick Solar Farm
Back in July we held a community eco day at the Berwick solar farm. It was organised in conjunction with the developers of the commercial solar farm. The star attraction was the UK’s first ever Swift tower to be erected on a solar farm. Swifts are exceptional birds, being the fastest UK bird in level flight, and they never land other than to have their young which they do in the UK. After nesting,
Bill checking at the Upper Dicker Cafe
A date for your diary!! The Big Energy Saving Network team will be at the Upper Dicker Cafe on 12th February from 4-7pm. Come and join us for tea and a chance to check your energy bills and get advice on money saving initiatives. Bring your energy bills with you - we...
Affordable Warmth in Wealden
Affordable warmth is the ability of a household to heat the home adequately. A lack of affordable warmth is known as fuel poverty. Wealden District Council aim to make “affordable warmth” available to all residents. The Home Energy Efficiency Officer is responsible for delivering affordable warmth to communities across the district with a focus on those who own or privately rent.
Community solar – the benefits
Behind the scenes, we are making good progress on developing your inspiring solar project. You can expect firm proposals to see the light of day as spring arrives. And we are cooking up some truly inspiring ways for you to benefit from the scheme as the year unfolds.
But we are acutely aware that many people want to know more about what is going on – and those of us working away on the project need to find a better balance between protecting you from “too much information”
One small thing to help us
If you have a mo, it would really help us if you could be in touch with a friend to let them know about our project. They may be someone who is local, or passionate about the environment, or may want to support the project by investing. Or all three! The project will...
Home Energy Advice
The Big Energy Saving Network team will set up a Pop Up Energy Advice Desk at the Lounge Coffee House, Uckfield High Street, from 4-9 December. Do come along and get your energy bills checked by the Sussex based team of energy specialists. We are also planning a local...
Progress at the Solar Farm
Behind the scenes the plans for our community solar farm at Berwick have been progressing.
Apologies that we haven’t been in touch for some time; it is in the nature of doing something that hasn’t been done before that there are changes along the way.
The complexities of our project have not been helped by significant changes in government policy, which have meant that our commercial partners have needed to hasten their part of the project.