Gracious Street Methodist Church Joins Flagship Energy Project
The Methodist Church is very concerned that the country experiences a ‘just energy transition’, where nobody is left behind because they cannot afford to make the switch away from gas or oil to more sustainable energy sources.
As we continue to move towards sustainable energy sources and address the climate crisis, one of the challenges we must address are the limitations of our energy infrastructure.
These are the cables and wires that transmit electricity, and, in most areas of the country, there is no spare capacity to link new solar panels or wind farms to the grid. Inevitably, we will have to build more infrastructure, decisions which are likely to prove controversial with many.
However, there is good news on the horizon – an approach that can deliver both environmental and social benefits. One way to reduce the need for as many extensions to the high-voltage electricity grid is to make the local, low-voltage, grids take up more of the burden. This means keeping electrical generation as close to use as possible, so that the solar power generated on a roof can be used by neighbouring properties rather than being transmitted up to the high-voltage grid as is often the case.
This is not without its challenges but, if we get it right, the country could save billions of pounds, increase our energy security and move us free of polluting fossil fuels so much faster than we are able to do at the moment.
In the UK, Ofgem (the energy regulator) has commissioned Northern Powergrid to run a series of four trials to try an establish a workable solution. The project is known as ‘Community DSO’ (https://www.northernpowergrid.com/community-dso). The first trial has been announced. It will focus on three towns in the North East and Yorkshire: Barnsley, Whitley Bay and Knaresborough.
Knaresborough represents a particularly exciting opportunity for our North and East Yorkshire Methodist District. As part of the District’s ‘Building Sustainable Hope’ project, which was largely financed through the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Net Zero Fund, we have installed 91 solar panels on Gracious Street Methodist Church in Knaresborough town centre (https://graciousstreetmethodist.org.uk/), producing an estimated 32,576 kWh per year. To put it into context, enough power to brew more than 1.3 million cups of tea!
Although Gracious Street is a very busy location that operates throughout the week in the heart of the town, the solar panels will generate significant excess. Therefore, working with the Knaresborough Community Energy group, it has been chosen to be included as one of the three ‘energy communities’ that are part of the Knaresborough trial. There are 78 other properties on the same electricity sub-station ‘feeder’ as the church, including small businesses, houses, flats and the local fire station. It is anticipated that all of these will have the opportunity to share the sustainable and lower-cost energy that will be provided by the church.
Initiatives like the Community DSO project supports the twin aims of climate justice and social justice, and is, therefore, something we are very proud to be part of.
Funding to support this scheme has been allocated from the York and North Yorkshire Net Zero Fund. This fund is led by York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, using investment secured from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
