Energy co-op’s CoRE support

August 28 2009

Energy and Climate Change Minister Joan Ruddock visited Community Renewable Energy (CoRE) in Northumberland to highlight the importance of community-based approaches to climate change.

CoRE is a co-operative that helps voluntary and community groups set up community-owned renewable energy plants that generate a sustainable income.

During the visit, the Minister was shown how CoRE projects are exploring ways of generating energy from everyday waste. She visited an initiative in Alnwick, where CoRE is working in partnership with an NHS Project that supports adults with mental health problems. Together they are researching the viability of untreated recycled vegetable oil for energy generation.

Ms Ruddock said: “We need local, on-the-ground solutions to engage communities in the challenge of climate change.

“CoRE has already had significant success in a number of renewable energy schemes across the North East, which is why the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) recently awarded the organisation a £20,000 grant under the Big Green Challenge.”

Category: Social Enterprise