In Autumn 2019, these headlines were simply hopes, dreams and prayers. Yet today, we are pleased to report they are a reality.
This autumn in 2024, the Cricket Club secured a valuable grant from SSE Renewables, who have started development work on their 200MW Battery Farm at Rawfield Lane, Monk Fryston.
They will provide a grant to the value of 75% of the cost of installing 9.8 kWh solar roof panels and a 15kWh electricity storage battery at the Pavilion. This will go a long way to help make them energy self-sufficient. However, the Cricket Club also provides power to the thriving Football Club, so all we can say at the moment is … it’s still work in progress and a big thank you for a fantastic boost from SSE. Below is a picture of the SSE work site at Rawfield lane in late October.
Meanwhile, we can now proudly say that the Community Centre was not just Carbon Neutral during the 4 months of May, June, July and August when it generated more than enough electricity to power the Centre than it used, but it had also, for that period achieved Net Zero. Furthermore, because the CA is now buying its energy from a company who only supply from sustainable sources, the Community Centre is technically Carbon Neutral. Great news!
Buying power from a sustainable source is something everyone can do to make a positive action to reduce their carbon emissions without spending anything on modifying their home.
Finally, in the next couple of weeks every household in our villages will receive a copy of our review of the Sustainability Project 2020-24. This will not only describe what all the Project Partners have achieved but the unforeseen challenges they faced since the launch of the project and how they overcame them. Also, in the booklet we provide brief information on the Energy Transition projects which have got planning approval (like SSE), and others who are still in the proposal planning application stage. We are now in touch with those developers who have obtained planning approval to see how we can work together to maximise and optimise the benefits which they are offering to local villages. We hope to be able to report more on this in the spring edition of Hillam News.
