Find out more about what YCE are doing in the community below

Read the latest news from YCE including about new board members and about the performance of the solar farms.

Read the Newsletter here

The Summer newsletter gives an account of the AGM held on 18 June 2024 at Yealmpton Community Centre and gives an update on the solar farms and forthcoming changes to the board, including an invitation for those who could bring complementary skills to put themselves forward. You can read the newsletter here

Thanks to those (over 100) who have invested so far and enabled us to reach our minimum investment target. This is enough to enable us to proceed with the purchase, thanks to an increased junior loan from PtC & BSC. But more investment will make our financing task much easier.

Our existing share offer is being extended for 2 weeks to 10 November 2023, to allow more people to invest and support our ownership of the solar farms, with the additional community benefit that will bring.

More information on the increased junior loan support is available in an addendum to the share offer document

To make an investment you will need to be registered with Ethex

In case you missed yesterdays Ethex Cuppa Club webinar with key speakers from around the sector here is the link: Webinar: Community Energy – Who Benefits? – YouTube

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Next Q&A drop in session for any questions you may have on the YCE share offer is on Friday 6th October at the Rose and Crown Yealmpton.

10.30am – Noon. Do come and see us and help us make the community ownership of 3 local solar farms a reality.

Come and talk to us at the Yealmpton Show to see how you can make a difference. Minimum investment £250. Maximum £100,000

Be part of the renewable age locally.

Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest.

We will have a stand at the Yealmpton Show on 26 July.  Come and visit us and chat about the latest news on the imminent share offer.

YCE will be using positive investment platform Ethex for its share offer. http://www.ethex.org.uk

“I am so sorry that I will be away for this AGM so unable to attend.

It promises to be an interesting meeting but I’m unable to change my commitments.  I believe the committee have done an excellent job and the YCE has become an impressive community force.”

If you are an existing member, or would like to join up on the day, we would be delighted to see you at Newton Ferrers Community Hall. To join YCE as a member it costs just £1. This allows you to gain voting rights and to invest in our forthcoming share offer, which will bring the local solar farms into community ownership. So much work is currently being undertaken, and negotiations are being had by the YCE team, we are in the most pivotal time for the project.

Further news – YCE had a great number of quality of projects apply for the latest round of grant funding from the Community Benefit Fund. The applicants will be informed of the panel decisions by mid June.

To date, £100,000 of financial support has been granted by YCE to local projects and causes in our 5 parishes. YCE continues to harness the power of the sun to empower our local communities.

If not at the AGM, do come and say hello to YCE at the Yealmpton show on 26^th July.

Dear Tracy,
I thought I would send you a couple of photos from the opening ceremony of our new shed which took place last Saturday 18th Feb. We very much appreciate the grant we received from Yealm Community Energy that helped us make this purchase.

YCE love to hear from our grant recipients on the impact and difference the grants make to our local community projects. Harnessing the power of the sun to Empower our local communities.

Tips to reduce your Heating Bill

• Lowering the heating temperature on a condensing boiler to 60ºC or below can cut a bill by around 8%. For a step by step guide see Moneysavingboilerchallenge.com
• Some combi boilers have a hot water preheat function – find it and turn it off.
• If you have a hot water tank then insulate pipework to it and reduce the hot water temperature to the lowest workable setting.
• If you have a combi boiler and you need to mix cold water with your hot then save money by turning the temperature down.
• Flow restrictors on taps, and a low-flow shower head can reduce hot water usage.
• Homes lose heat through air leakage – identify where cold air is getting in using the smoke from an incense stick, or just by feeling with your hand. Common culprits are around windows and doors, and open fires. You can buy draughtproofing seals at DIY stores, unused open fires can be closed off with a “chimney balloon” or a “chimney sheep”, heat shrink glazing film can be applied to windows, you could make an old-fashioned fabric “draught-dog” to reduce the draught at the bottom of doors.
• Turn the heating down (but not off) in unused rooms.
• Dress warmly – hat, scarf, jumper, extra leggings, warm feet.
• If you cannot afford to turn your heating on then you might be able to afford to warm yourself with an electric blanket. Consider using an electric blanket if sitting.
• Making one room really cosy can allow you to have the rest of the house colder.
• Turning down the main thermostat a degree or two can save a lot of money over a year.
• Thickening curtains or DIY insulated shutters can retain more heat. Use them strategically – leave shut to the North, and open to the South when the sun is out to warm your home.

Households with vulnerable people should take a cautious approach to these measures so as not to compromise health.

Helpful Resources

Sdce.org.uk – South Dartmoor Community Energy carry out home energy assessments and come to various drop-in events. 0800 112 3044

Southhams.gov.uk/Reduce-Fuel-Bills – saving money, grants, and loans from Lendology CIC

Cosydevon.com – grant funded efficiency measures for low income households.

Dsfire.gov.uk/safety/home/home-safety-visits – The Fire & Rescue Service free home safety visits are helpful and a good point of contact for vulnerable households. 0800 05 02 999

Devoncommunities.org.uk/services/devon-oil-collective Devon Oil collective – group buying to reduce the purchase price of heating oil. 01392 248919

Yealm Community Energy offers some keeping warm tips to save energy.

Autumn is delivering us exceptionally mild days and still good sunshine for the solar farms.
As we enter a very difficult winter with rising fuel, food and energy costs we hope some of our keeping warm tips may help you.

1. Heat yourself rather than the whole house.
2. Pull on a warm jumper or fleece, pull on an extra pair of socks or fluffy slippers.
3. Hug a hot water bottle whilst you work from home, or in the evening whilst watching TV, or wrap yourself in a blanket or both. Just pull it down when you are on Zoom!
4. Hot drinks warm you and your hands!
5. Let the sun shine in by day and then close your curtains at dusk to not lose the heat.
6. Insulate wherever you can within the house. Plug those draughty gaps around doors and windows. Ideally, loft insulation should be at 270mm. If affordable, cavity wall insulation and under floor insulation too will make a big difference.
7. Turn radiators off in empty rooms and tuck your curtains in behind your radiators.

The very hot spell in mid July didn’t mean that they produced even more electricity, as the panels work slightly less efficiently when the temperatures are up in the 30s, but they still produced the maximum that can be expected in mid-Summer.

The electricity production figures for the two solar farms for March to June are as follows:

March: 1,286 MWh (MW-hours or 1,286,000 Kilowatt-hours) April:    1,551 MWh May:     1,664 MWh June:     1,785 MWh  Total     6,286 MWh

That’s a lot of electricity!! It means that in these four months the two solar farms produced the equivalent of the average total annual consumption of 2000 homes.  Over the whole year they will produce the equivalent of about 4000 households, i.e. all of the houses in the 5 parishes.

The solar farms are performing consistently well and will be benefiting from the high wholesale electricity prices (following the very low prices during the COVID pandemic).  The high prices of course are bad news for all of us electricity consumers, but at least the surplus revenues from the solar farms will be staying locally, once we have the long awaited complete ownership.

What a tremendously busy day after a three year absence. Our new gazebo which was funding by Power to Change looked very professional for the show, and will be an asset for future events. Great to have so many meaningful conversations with so many of you on all things solar.

Many thanks to all those YCE members last month who attended the first face to face AGM meeting in nearly three years.

YCE members heard from YCE Chairman, Peter Brown, who gave updates on the technical issues on site being resolved, how the ecology of the sites was improving, how the latest round of YCE Community Benefit Fund had been distributed, (the fund awarding grants totalling £80k to date to local projects and good causes), and how the Senior part of the refinancing debt had been completed. That was a snapshot! demonstrating how much time and energy is input into this project for the benefit of the communities in our local parishes.

Incredible to see what a difference some grant funding makes.

Holbeton Bird Box project is an example. £300 grant supporting a team of volunteers to make bird boxes and place them across the village leading down to the Erme estuary. Picture of tit chicks within two months of the box being placed.

Wonderful!

I am very often asked about our bees within the solar bee hives at Creacombe solar farm, and the latest on how they are doing, especially against the deadly varroa mite. YCE is lucky to have an expert bee keeper, Martin Pope, who regularly checks the bee’s health and gives nature a helping hand when an intervention against a deadly invader is needed. This time of year the checks are mainly about making sure that the bees have sufficient store and to action against the mite!

In the winter the queen reduces her laying and as the varroa mites multiply in the bee larvae, if there is no larvae they attach themselves to the adult bees. Martin treats the bees with a vapour which reduces the varroa mites considerably and then prevents the disease going forward. In addition in the winter, the bees get a nice feed of fondant or pure sugar, and then in early Spring he will add a pollen substitute to aid the queens for premium health.

Who knew eh?

It is always rewarding for YCE members and the wider community to see how YCE community grants help deliver direct projects locally. Here are some pictures of the new Outdoor Classroom being constructed at Newton Ferrers school and improved access completed to Holbeton Community Orchard.

If you would like to view the full report for 2021 head over to our Community Fund page where it can be viewed in full.

A total of seven BOCC listed species were recorded, five of which were red
listed species and two were amber listed species. This is a relatively good number of BOCC listed species for a small site.

Skylarks were observed in relatively high numbers within and surrounding the
solar farm and are likely to be nesting in or surrounding the site. Yellowhammer were also seen in high numbers on both visits and are highly likely to be nesting on the site.

The high numbers of red listed species highlights the importance of the site to local bird populations.

We streamed the session to local schools across Plymouth and the South Hams, organised by Exeter University’s Exeter Science Centre.

It was an interactive lesson with many questions from the lively  250 children taking part.

Here is an edited extract of the livestreamed video.

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YCE help make a film on “What is community energy?”

Watch it here What is Community Energy? – YouTube our thanks to Power to Change who funded the film.

Well we did try!

AGM on Sat 3rd July will now be a virtual meeting due to the extension of restrictions. We will post the Zoom link very shortly for all our members to be able to join us.

YCE Community grants in action!

Support given to a local bird box project and in only two months just 20 of the bird boxes surveyed have 23 Tit chicks!

Power of community volunteering and small funding.

AGM confirmed Saturday 3rd July 2021.

Venue: Please note there has been a change of venue to Noss Mayo Village Hall. 10am start.

We very much look forward to seeing you there in person!

It has became apparent that solar powered hives offer an effective and much needed chemical free solution to protecting bees from the deadly varroa mite.  What’s more, by locating thermosolar beehives on community owned solar farms, YCE can create a unique set of benefits.  Introducing honey bees can lead to improved outcomes for the local environment. The obvious and immediate benefit comes from the bees, who offer pollination services to local trees, plants and nearby agricultural crops.  In addition to this, the very presence of the bees encourages us to improve onsite biodiversity and make the environment more bee-friendly by adding habitats such as wildflowers, hedgerows and meadows. This, in turn, attracts further wildlife such as insects, birds and small mammals. The end result is the local solar farm generates renewable energy and also provides a much-needed boost to local biodiversity.  A further benefit is derived from the honey produced by the bees, which contributes to the local economy and also helps promote the benefits of the community group.

Look out for YCE branded honey next year!

Thanks to all those local projects that have applied to our Community Benefit Fund. This round of grant funding is now closed. We will announce the awarded projects in April. Good luck everyone!

YCE Director Ray Holland using the new facility.

Yealm Community Energy are delighted to be launching the 2020 Community Fund. Applications are invited for Environmental Projects Only for the current grant round. Please note the closing date for applications is 28th February 2021.‍

It is vital for YCE and its funders to evaluate and monitor the impact of any grants to local projects. All grant recipients will be expected to report on these impacts and differences the grants have made.

Thursday was a stunningly sunny day and the 07.15am start was worth it! We hope to have some of the footage soon to share with you all. It was taken to be part of wider films and animations that YCE have commissioned for 2021.

Have a look at this super little video on Agroforestry and its benefits. Looking at the land differently with some examples locally.

Do watch our Technical Director, Ray Holland in the video below produced by Open LV, who provide energy data on Newton Downs. We are currently working on how we can get this data in real time onto our website.

This planting will not only enhance the park and encourage more walking but also contribute to increasing carbon uptake from the atmosphere. As an added bonus the wildlife will also greatly benefit from the increased habitat.

We would like to extend a very big thanks to Yealm Community Energy for their kind grant.

A mention of YCE Director, Andrew Moore, in the latest Solar Power Portal magazine. How will things change post CV-19?

Read it here https://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/blogs/community_energy_to_focus_more_on_full_system_changes_following_covid_19

At any difficult time there will always be some positive news!

Read the latest here https://www.positive.news/environment/uk-sets-new-record-for-coal-free-power/

Watch this space for forthcoming details of YCE gaining solar powered beehives to its sites!

Article by journalist Hazel Sheffield in the Independent 13 Feb: on VCE, Newton Downs solar farm and the view of the farmer landowner.

Developed in close cooperation with local group Yealm Community Energy (YCE), Gnaton Farms and the Lopes Family, the solar farm is on low-grade land owned by Gnaton Farms and was granted planning consent in 2017. Under the ownership of Community Owned Renewable Energy Partners (CORE), an initiative from charitable trust Power to Change, construction of the solar farm began in September and was completed at the end of January.

The solar farm is split into two parts:  60 percent of the site is expected to receive a small subsidy in the form of one of the last Community Feed-in Tariffs for which it was pre-accredited, while the remaining 40 percent is subsidy-free, making it the first subsidy-free community ground-mount solar to be built in the UK.

Power to Change also runs the Next Generation programme, which gives grants and support to innovative ideas for creating renewable energy, and which is advising YCE.

Peter Brown, YCE Chair, said:

‍“It is over five years since Yealm Community Energy started to explore the idea of bringing a community solar farm to this part of Devon which is ideal for generating solar power. We are very pleased that Creacombe is now connected to the grid, although work will continue on the landscaping and creating wildflower meadows and wildlife habitats around the panels, and are excited about the next phase of the project – launching our share offer this summer.”

“We would like to thank the people and organisations that have helped us get here: Gnaton Farms and the Lopes family for their support; CORE, Environmental Finance and Next Generation for helping us with the acquisition and transfer to community ownership; and Goldbeck Solar for building the project during a very muddy winter!”

With support from CORE and Next Generation, YCE plans to launch an investment offer this summer to enable the community to invest directly in Creacombe along with another nearby operational solar farm, Newton Downs, which is also part of the CORE portfolio.

Peter added

‍“Both solar farms will be able to generate enough electricity to supply the equivalent of all the homes in our five local parishes helping to meet our Net Zero commitments, saving over 3000 tonnes of carbon a year. Equally important, once we have completed the share offer so they are fully community-owned we expect to generate a healthy profit which will be spent locally to grow other exciting initiatives to tackle the climate crisis such as energy efficiency, electric vehicles and more green power generation.”

Newton Downs solar farm has been operational since 2017 and has already made an important contribution locally through its community benefit fund which is administered by YCE. The 2019 grant funding round, closed in December awarding £20,000 to 14 different projects, ranging  from £5,000 to South Dartmoor Community Energy for its “Net Zero Heroes” programme, to £400 to Brixton Parish council for equipment for voluntary clean-up activities.

Leading social and environmental impact investor, Environmental Finance, advised CORE through the development and financing of Creacombe solar farm. CORE is a £50m social investment partnership between Big Society Capital and Power to Change, whose aim is to bring solar farms into community ownership and deliver lasting local community benefits.

Andre Sarvarian, Associate Director at Environmental Finance, said

“We have been delighted to support Creacombe throughout the construction process. Having developed and managed CORE, Environmental Finance has been an integral part of the delivery and investment for Creacombe alongside supporting another 32MW of community solar over the last two years. Creacombe sets a leading example which can further stimulate the community energy market towards subsidy-free renewables, whilst delivering tangible social and environmental community benefits over the project lifetimes flowing directly to the local communities surrounding these projects.”

Will Walker, Community Energy Programme Manager, Power to Change, said:

“We are very proud to have played a part in the creation of the UK’s first post-subsidy community owned solar farm at Creacombe.

“Our Next Generation programme is working alongside CORE to equip all the community groups with the knowledge, skills and opportunities that they need to take ownership and develop these solar assets into successful long-term projects that deliver against local needs and priorities. They will bring huge benefits to their local areas, from affordable warmth projects tackling fuel poverty, to better community and cultural spaces.”

Over their operational lifetime, CORE’s portfolio of solar farms are expected to create a surplus of several million pounds to fund community benefit projects. In the Yealm area this has already included putting solar panels on Newton and Noss Village Hall and creating a community wildflower meadow and orchard in Yealmpton.

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The Community fund has only £20,000 available, so was unable to fund all of these; eight were funded in full, and six funded in part, the same overall number of applications funded as in 2018.  See the list of project funding awards here.

Hear the Podcast from Power to Change featuring Yealm Community Energy.

Join us at this event  for Mulled Wine and Mince Pies  and to hear more about the successful bids, and how YOUR group could obtain a grant in the next round.

We are delighted that Iain Stewart, of TV science fame, will be delivering the Keynote address

All welcome!

We would like to congratulate the organisations submitting the successful applications (see below).

The first year of operation of the Newton Downs solar farm, of which we currently own only a token share, has generated income for the community fund of £20,000.  This is after payment of the fees and dividends for the current majority owners (Community Owned Renewables LLP). Despite the short notice (availability of the fund announced only in July), 15 applications were received from across the Yealm area by the deadline of the end of December.  Grants were made to 14 of these projects, described below:

• South Dartmoor Community Energy
  Pilot initiative to reduce energy poverty and carbon footprint in 5 parishes
  £2541
• Newton & Noss Village Hall
  Installation of solar panels on commuity building
  ‍£4000
• Marine Biological Association of the UK
  Life on the Yealm; celebration of wildlife that lives in and around the Yealm
  ‍£905
• 1st Yealm Brownies (Girl Guiding UK)
  Learning how to help save the bees; educational and environmental project around bees
  ‍£247
• 1st Yealm Rainbows (Girl Guiding UK)
  Learning how to protect the environment; education about plastic and small changes to make a difference
  ‍£145
• Yealmpton school
  Reinstating a larger pond, involving preschool, afterschool club, rainbows, brownies, beavers, cubs
  ‍£1092
• Yealmpton Wild Flower Project
  Creating pollinator and wildlife-friendly areas within Stray Park and other community spaces
  ‍£1750
• Brookings Down Wood Management Committee
  Tree Safety Measures: Middlecombe Lane
  ‍£1200
• Injury Prevention Minimisation and Prevention (N & N Network)
  Start of Injury Minimisation Programme for Schools
  ‍£820
• Newton & Noss Community Housing
  Create a legal community entity to engage with local affordable housing for local people
  ‍£1250
• River Yealm Regatta
  Renovation for four traditional crabber boats
  ‍£1250
• Yealmpton Cricket Club
  Purchasing a Roller for club, with members also from N&N and Holbeton; improve safety
  ‍£800
• Wembury War Memorial Village Hall CIO
  Replacement of Village Hall floors to protect range of social activities
  ‍£2500
• Holbeton Bells
  Restoration of church bells and tower
  ‍£1500

There will be approximately £20,000 available for the coming year. Please find our community fund page for more information.

The crew filmed and interviewed grant recipients from YCE’s community benefit fund and local people who have invested in YCE’s current share offer. See the recording here.

Do read our share offer YCE Share Offer Document and if you have any questions on investing or would like to know more email YCE at info@yealmenergy.co.uk. You can also come and see us on August 29th at Newton & Noss Summer Fayre or on Sept 2nd at Wembury Farmers market.

Capital at Risk