A sheep farm in the Brecon Beacons in mid-Wales is providing a glimpse of a post-carbon future, writes Simon Gompertz.

Do you have a stream on your property that could do the same?

Some good news was announced in October, especially if you like dark skies at night.

Street lights in some areas of Devon are to be switched off during the early hours in a bid to save money and cut carbon emissions. Over the next six months 8,700 lamps which are usually illuminated from dusk to dawn will be switched off between 0030 GMT and 0530 GMT.

Devon County Council is responsible for about 75,000 street lights and annually spends £2.2m on its electricity bills. Over the next five years it plans to switch more lights to part-night use. Devon's street lights currently produces about 20,000 tonnes of carbon each year but it is estimated that part-night lighting could save 4,000 tonnes a year as well as slashing the council's energy bill by £450,000.

Lights on main roads and town centres will remain lit throughout the night but the council plans to consider dimming lamps in these areas where feasible. It is also working with Devon and Cornwall Police to ensure that the impact on crime, disorder and road safety are taken into account if lighting is reduced.

The next Energy Group meeting will be in early November after the Crediton Counts event. The date of the meeting will be posted on the CCA website and in the next Newsletter.

It has been pointed out by Newsletter reader, Martin Hodnett, that the news about feed in tariffs is not good news for those who already have such systems installed, as Para 4.6 of the proposal specifically excludes them and pegs them to about 9p/unit instead of 36.5p for PV or 23p for wind... which is what might be available to people who install new systems. Martin suspects that many existing micro-generators are unaware of this and those concerned about this "penalisation of pioneers" should write or respond online by 15 Oct, the end date of the public consultation on the government's proposals. Details of how to respond can be found at this link.

From the BBC WebSite

Pig muck to be turned into power

A Scottish farm secures a grant to harness the power of pig muck by turning it into electricity.

UK 'could face blackouts by 2016'

Following a major consultation exercise in 2008, the Department of Energy & Climate Change have now published their Renewable Energy Strategy and Executive Summary. This strategy sets out how we all have a role to play in promoting renewable energy, from individuals to communities to businesses.

The Renewable Energy Strategy sets out the plan to achieve the Governments legal obligation to produce 15% of all its energy from renewable energy by 2020.

Good News if you have or install PV or a Wind Turbine.

The government has now committed to giving a fixed amount of money, per unit, to those of us that produce our own renewable energy. This is good news, particularly as anyone who goes ahead with fitting renewable energy will be eligible for the new incentive when it comes in next April.

The key proposals are as follows:

• from April 2010, feed-in tariffs (FITs) will offer a fixed payment per kilowatt hour generated (generation tariff) and a guaranteed minimum payment per kWh exported to the market for a 20 year period. For example, for a new small (under 4KW) Solar PV project, the total proposed FIT is 36.5p per KWH
• Feed-in tariffs are proposed at levels that will offer projects a five to eight per cent return on investment, with the aim of delivering 2 per cent of the UK's energy from small scale projects by 2020
• Projects installed in the interim period from 15 July 2009 to April 2010 will be eligible to receive the tariff from day one
• The government is not proposing to offer financial support ( that is grants) for the up-front capital costs of projects

A cooker that uses no fuel but the sun. It could transform lives in the 3rd world.

The UK has committed to getting 15% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. Solar photovoltaics (PV) can help us achieve this - by using silicon cells to produce electric power directly from daylight.

Please ask your MP to promote solar power.

The Energy Group has finalised its 2009 -2014 plans.

We are planning an Open House weekend for the 16th and 17th May for the general public to view working renewable energy generating systems in and around Crediton. 

We have several participants confirmed and we are covering everything from wind turbines, solar panels for water heating and electricity generation,air and ground source heat pumps, and wood burning stoves and boilers.

We are also hoping to include a home with internal solid wall and floor insulation. More details will be forthcoming in future newsletters and in the local press.

Over 5 million UK households are in fuel poverty - they can't afford to heat their homes. Every winter over 20,000 people in England die from the cold. This is due to leaky, energy inefficient homes. Ask your MP to end the plight of fuel poverty and reduce CO2 from housing by voting
for the Fuel Poverty Bill.

Energy Group has finalised its 2009 -2014 plans which will form part of CCA's overall strategy.

The plans will be posted on the website shortly. We are planning an Open House Day in May for the general public to view working renewable energy generating systems in and around Crediton.

We hope that seeing systems working and talking to the owners may encourage some people to make the investment in renewable energy.

We are aiming to cover everything from wind turbines, solar panels for water heating and electricity generation,air and ground source heat pumps, and wood burning stoves and boilers.

We may also include people with permaculture gardens to make the event about sustainable living in general.Fuller details in the next newsletter.

Working in partnership with Ecotricity

From Charles Mossman:

I was speaking to our electricity meter reader the other day. I asked him how many of the meters he read were supplied by Ecotricity or Good Energy. He told me that this area of mid - Devon was surprisingly high for green electricity.

Out of the 400 meters he read at least 60 were from the Good or Ecotricity. This has reminded me CCA has an arrangement with Ecotricity. Wouldn't it be amazing to have all your household electricity supplied by 100% renewable energy and at the same time help Crediton Climate Action?

Well you can do that today by switching your electricity supply to Ecotricity. When you make the switch and mention CCA, Ecotricity  will donate £15 to our community renewable fund.

Businesses can secure an even bigger donation, up to £40, by switching now. Switching to Ecotricity means you'll be reducing your own carbon emissions and supporting renewable energy as a long term solution to climate change.

The Green Electricity Marketplace says "One of the best green tariffs available in the UK. If you want to support a company that is dedicated to investing in new renewable energy schemes in the UK, then this is the tariff for you." If you haven't already switched to a green tariff why not make the switch today?

On the theme of green energy sign the RSPB pledge to mail Ed Miliband about coal fired power stations.