Community unites for £300,000 eco-scheme, Teesdale Mercury

A scattered community in Teesdale is making a determined stand against climate change. Reporter Trevor Brookes learns more about their wind turbine project 

 

A STILL, crisp winter’s morning in Barnard Castle becomes a breezy day in Baldersdale.

And so it follows that a windy day in town is positively gale-force on the shores of Hury Reservoir – little wonder that there’s only 24 properties in a ten mile area.

But wind can mean eco-friendly electricity. And green energy means cash. That’s the conclusion of a group of determined residents of South Baldersdale. 

They are pioneering a daring £300,000 project that, if successful, will see enough electricity produced to power 50 homes. Unused electricity will be sold back to the local energy provider, NEDL, to cover costs of the scheme. Profits would then be reinvested into more eco-schemes.

Richard Dunne is leading the initiative. He said: “Before, many of us were unfamiliar with each other, but the project has invigorated the whole community to be a community. People know each other, people talk to each other and people share problems. I have never felt this spirit anywhere and it’s very uplifting.”

I met Richard at his large home in West Briscoe, a stone’s throw from Hury Reservoir.

He was everything you would expect a retired Lieutenant Commander in the British Navy to be – intelligent, articulate and determined.

Richard’s commitment to help halt global warming became clear on entering his study, which contains seemingly endless amounts of information and files about the plan. From data taken by a small weather station on his roof, Richard can even estimate the furthest a particle had travelled on the wind in 24 hours – about 400kms on a particularly wild November day.   

Baldersdale South Renewable Energy Community, a non-profit making organisation, was created last year.

In August, resident Rosemary Thompson heard that a representative of Core (Community Renewable Energy) would be at a meeting to tell people how they could start eco-projects. 

Rosemary phoned around and the people of South Baldersdale answered her call.

“We discovered that there were a number of alternatives available to groups,” Richard said.

The proposal was to build a wind turbine, with a hub height of 30 metres – a similar size to the turbine at GlaxoSmithKline in Barnard Castle.

The turbine would generate about 468MWh a year, offsetting 452 tonnes of carbon dioxide, 5.2 tonnes of sulphur dioxide and 1.6 tonnes of nitrogen oxide. It would be owned by people living in the area north of Cotherstone Moor and west of Cotherstone village.

“We all know that here its windy most of the time – it’s a no brainer that, if you are looking for a place to put a small turbine to harness that wind energy, this area is ideal,” Richard said.

Three possible sites near Brisco Gate, away from ANOB land, have been suggested for the turbine. 

The project has an estimated cost of £250,000 and would be financed through grants, and a mixture of low-interest and high-interest loans.

Richard said: “We believe that it’s achievable, that it will work and that we will be able to pay back the loan within a sensible period.

“Profits from wind farms owned by large companies do not go back into the community and residents are left carrying the visual burden o far, there have been no major objections to the scheme, which is supported by Teesdale District Council. 

It seems more people are waking up to climate change, said Richard, who has published several scientific papers on the devastating impact on coral of warming seas in Thailand.

He said: “It’s easy to say it won’t affect Teesdale, but climate change will bring milder winters. There are some rare plants growing in hay meadows around here that need cold weather to germinate. 

“Things are happening and we all ought to be brave enough to provide local solutions. You do not need to look to the Government or big companies – you can look to yourselves.”

But what of those people who will protest about an “ugly” structure in the beautiful countryside? And there will some protestors – Richard is certain of that.  He points to the changing landscape of Baldersdale.

History has shaped the dale. First, forests were cut down to make charcoal, then land was enclosed and the reservoirs were dug.

Richard explained: “Ultimately, it is very much a matter of personal taste.

“We don’t want to get into a dust-up with anyone, but we are custodians of the environment here – more so that CRPE and AONB because we shape the area through farming every season of the year.”

Environmental assessments and consultant fees are expected to cost about £59,000. 

It is hoped that the New Leader initiative – set up by Defra to help rural economies – will provide half that amount, with the rest made by the community doing the work instead of consultants.

“This will require a great deal of effort and there are uncertainties with the planning process. But what we are doing is fairly unique and we hope the funders will be bold enough to accept those risks,” Richard said. 

The next stage of project will be to erect a wind monitoring mast, and write environmental and visual impact assessments.

The group hopes the turbine will be erected in 2011, with a best-case scenario of costs being covered about five years later.

Funding could be recouped much sooner with a proposed Government “feed-in tariff” scheme. It would mean small-scale producers of energy from wind turbines or solar panels are paid an above-market rate for every unit of energy they produce.

If successful, the scheme would also make several nearby holiday cottages “carbon neutral” – a first for the area.

There are currently only a handful of similar projects in UK, but Richard said other people could take on the idea. He said: “We’ve already had people in North Baldersdale saying ‘can we do the same thing’. The answer is yes.”

Baldersdale South Renewable Energy Community has sent out letters to nearby households and an information day is planned at Cotherstone Village Hall on February 27.

“If we can turn to the planners and say the whole of this area is strongly in favour, it will be very persuasive.

“If we do nothing to try to mitigate the effects of climate change, then we could see the landscape of Baldersdale changing in ways that we do not yet fully understand.”

During my time in Baldersdale, a stiff breeze had developed. The arguments of an entire community seemed hard to ignore.