Community Energy questions For Political Parties
Sustainable Wales and Community Energy Wales have set out some of the challenges and opportunities for Locally owned Energy in the following resources.
This is a guide to some questions you could put to candidates in the upcoming 2016 Welsh Elections.
You can download these questions as a Word document. The questions can also be downloaded in the form of a letter to send to your candidate:
Word document (English language version) and Word document (Cymraeg) for printing.
RTF document (English language, works in most word processors and text editors or copy and paste into your email etc.) 121kb
Members of Community Energy Wales want to see:
- Targets for community energy in Wales
- A right of local supply
- Easing of the planning process for Community Renewables
- Measures to address grid constraints
- A community right to buy in Wales
- Co-ordinated and co-designed support for Community Energy in Wales
Questions to ask...
Have you seen Sustainable Wales' Film on Community Energy? How would you address some of the issues and opportunities outlined in the film?
Would your party advance the recommendations outlined in a ‘Smarter Energy Future For Wales’ prepared by the National Assembly Environment and Sustainability Committee published March 2016 to support the transition to Renewable locally owned energy supply in Wales.
- Establish an umbrella ‘not for profit’ energy services company, which would allow LA’s city regions or communities to offer an energy supply locally.
- Urge UK government to enable OFGEM to allow prioritisation of local supply to local people.
- Aim to meet all of Wales energy needs from renewables in the context of a need for a carbon emissions reduction by 2050.
- Establish that carbon emissions and reduction targets become local duties for local authorities.
- Have a greater say in how the grid, Distribution Network Operators and energy companies operate.
- Provide and facilitate support for energy storage to promote local supply.
- Amend and streamline planning policy to prioritise local and community owned renewable projects.
- Provide support for and advice for local community energy projects at all government levels assisting and working with CEW and partners such as ROCBF on alternative financing options for schemes.
What can Wales do to overcome the challenges imposed by the UK government in Westminster with the reduction of the FIT and the removal of the Enterprise Investment Scheme for those investing in Community Owned Energy?
- Would your party support a separate Welsh ‘Feed in Tariff’ for renewable energy or community owned renewables generated in Wales.
- Enable the use of Public buildings and land for Community Owned Energy
- Buy your energy from local Welsh sources of Renewable Energy
- How would you propose to overcome the challenges of an outdated and constrained electricity grid in Wales
- Should there be a ‘Welsh electricity grid’ and who should own it
- Should Welsh Government invest in upgrading the grid where there are constraints?
Why isn’t your party communicating more clearly the urgency of climate change?
It seems likely that the nuclear power plant at Hinkley C is not going to go ahead. What is your alternative, how is locally owned Energy part of the solution?
What Energy powers should be devolved to Wales?