enhancing community investment in sustainable energy development in ireland. learnings from the...
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One of our directors Seamus Hoyne's presentation at the Behave Energy Conference 2014 in Oxford. This presentation is about Ireland's first community owned wind farm in Templederry Co. Tipperary.TRANSCRIPT
Enhancing community investment in sustainable energy in Ireland: Learnings from the Community wind farm in Templederry, Co. Tipperary
Seamus Hoyne, LIT
Pauline Ryan, LIT
John Kelly, LIT
BEHAVE ConferenceSaid Business School, Oxford3rd September 2014
• Upland parish, declining population – rural Ireland
• Rural development consultation (1999)• Energy identified as key opportunity• Wind, Wood, AD feasibility examined.• Wind development company formed and
locals invited to invest (2001/2012)• Public meetings, parish newsletter, local
press etc.• Initial investment €500, subsequent
investments over 10 years.• Ownership vs community benefit approach• Studies (Munday et al, 2011; SQW and QU,
2012) that ownership is a key component for acceptance
• This was the first attempt at community ownership model in Ireland
Context
Public Consultation/Investment
2001
Grid & Planning Applicati
on
2003
Grid Connection Offer
2007
2nd Plannin
g
2009
Finance,
Legals, PPA
2011
Turn On – Nov.
2012
Grid Moratorium
Revised Planning
Objectives
Economic Crisis
RISK
TECHNOLOGY
FINANCE
Research Question
What were the non-technical reasons behind the success of the Templederry project?
Research Approach
Surveys using semi-structured interviews
28 interviews – diverse cross section of society and involvement in project development
Interviews completed May/June 2013
Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis
Templederry Energy Resources Membership Profile
Category Sub-Category Percent Response
Gender Male 70Female 30
Age 18-29 years 1430-49 years 2950-64 years 4665 + years 11
From the area Native 71Non-native 29
Length of time in area
Less than 5 years 75-10 years 011-15 years 716-20 years 5Greater than 20 years
24
All my life 57
Motivation
Economy
Employment
Environment
“…I thought it was a sustainable kind of a thing that could go on and that there might be a future in it and it was a community based thing as well…”
Staying the Course
“… one of the motivating factors was that I didn’t want the system to beat the project, that there was a lot of technical issues and planning issues that were a challenge to overcome, like that was the motivation, I think the collective drive of the group of people at the core of the project was motivating in itself …”
“… I have tremendous trust and faith in the management here, that core group.... I have great confidence in them and I would have backed them even if it was a long shot ...”
“…we had a sort of residual determination within the group to succeed; again I would put it down to knowledge of the group that were involved, I felt that we were capable of going through with it…”
“…any community development I think it needs patience and I think it needs honesty in that it might fail. We all have hopes and expectations, but they mightn’t be realised …”
External Supports
Wind
Farm
Tipperary Energy Agency
Local Authority
Enercon
Local Development Company
Technical Expertise
Planning
Finance
Seed Funding
Why are Community RES projects not happening Financial structures are not appropriate or supportive of
community investment
“System” not designed for community projects – planning, legals, grid connection
Lack of technical knowledge within communities
Opposition to wind has grown due to lack of engagement with and involvement of communities (Warren, MacFayden, 2010)
National Economic and Social Council (2013) has highlighted the need for “….the support of a multiplicity of stakeholders, including communities.”
Conclusions
The Templederry project was successful primarily due to the belief and drive of the investors (and in particular a core group of members)
Values: Honesty, Transparency, Trust
Characteristics: Persistence, Emotional Strength, Determination
New Legal and financial models had to be developed to meet the needs of the project
Supporting agencies within the region support the project ethos and approach
Developing future ‘Templederrys’ will require capacity building for communities
Particular focus on determination, leadership, trust, emotional strength
Communities will require individuals who can envision, develop and sustain
Further research
Compare data with other project types in EU and benchmark against relevant theories
Develop framework which encompasses technical, financial and non-technical aspects of community RES development
Contacts & Contributors Seamus Hoyne
Head of Department
@shoyne
Pauline Ryan
Lecturer
John Kelly
Graduate, Environmental and Natural Resources Mgt, LIT
Tipperary Energy Agency Ltd, www.tea.ie
North Tipperary Leader Partnership, www.ntlp.ie