action for renewables activist pack
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Information, ideas and practical action for
green energy campaigners.How to TakeAction forRenewablesIdeas, information and practicalactivities for green energycampaigners
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What is Action for Renewables? pg.3
Tell me about renewable energy pg.4
Renewable energy in the UK pg.5
The Renewable Mix pg.6
Campaigning Guides
Running a campaign pg.11
Running events pg.13
Setting up a street stall pg.15
Attending a planning committee pg.16
Commenting on a planning application pg.18
Letter writing pg.20
Contacting your MP pg.21
Taking Action Toolkit
Plan a campaign pg.24
Make a campaign banner pg.27
Organise a visit to a wind farm or solar park pg.28
Oddies Oddyssey Screening pg.30
Resource ordering form pg.31
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Almost everything we do relies on energy,whether its turning on a light switch,cooking dinner or using a telephone.
At the moment, most of our electricity is
generated from volatile imported fossilfuels such as gas and oil.
We want to change that. We can harnessthe power of the sun, the waves and windto power our homes and businesses.
To do it were going to need a differentkind of energy, yours. This guide containspractical information and tips to help youorganise activities, on your own or as agroup, to help build a future based onclean, renewable energy.
jonathan.pyke@renewableUK.com
Action for Renewables
RenewableUK
Greencoat House
France Street
London SW
@Act4Renewables
020 7921 3035
www.facebook/actionforrenewables
www.actionforenewables.org
A silent majority of the UK is in favour of greener power, but
theyre being drowned out by a noisy minority.
Action for Renewables works to help the public support
renewable energy, through campaigns to national politicians,
providing helpful updates and facts about why renewable
energy is good, and making it easy to support local projectslike solar parks or wind farms.
What isaction forrenewables?
Action for Renewables is a grassroots campaign made up of
supporters of renewable energy. We want to use our natural
and abundant energy sources to generate the power our
country needs; from the wind, waves, the sun and heat from
the ground. Even rubbish! Our role is motivate, organise and
activate support for renewables throughout the UK, helping
to campaign for local projects and to work on issues facing
renewables at the national level.
We put the positive benets of renewable energy, includingenvironmental impact and energy security, before the public,
and aim to dispel myths about its disadvantages. We seek
to promote renewables, not to undermine other power
sources in recognition of the role they may yet play in our
future energy mix. At all times, we will aim to ensure that the
information we present to the public is based on a clear and
accurate representation of the best available science. We
will not knowingly make false or misleading claims about the
advantages and disadvantages of renewables, or any other
form of energy.
How to use this packAction for Renewables runs campaigns that focus on aparticular opportunity or challenge in the ght for renewable
energy.
This pack is designed to help you understand more about
renewable power, and provide some suggestions for ways in
which you can help build more public support in your local
area, including activities for small groups and guidance and
tips on running campaigns and events
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Tell meaboutrenewableenergy.There are many ways to
generate renewable energy.This chapter looks at themost signicant.
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How does renewable energy work in theUK? At present, the UK gets around 11%of its energy needs through renewableenergy sources. But in order to meet ourlegally binding climate targets, well need
to generate more than ever.
Renewable energy is energy that can be naturally
replenished. Unlike fossil fuels such as coal and
gas, renewable energy is harnessed through natural
resources such as wind, sunlight and tides. It can also
come from the heat within the earth, in the form of
geothermal energy, and from biological material, as
biomass.
Its often said that the British are fond of talking about
the weather, and not without good reason. The UK
is the windiest country in Europe, and with around
12,400km of coastline there are also plenty of waves.
While the UK may not enjoy the same sunny climate asthe Mediterranean, more than 50 times our energy use
hits Britain in the form of sunlight. Solar panels can still
generate signicant amounts of electricity throughout
the year.
Renewable energy can make a huge contribution to our
energy needs. However changing the way we generate
our power requires commitment, investment and hard
work. The UK is still wedded to creating energy from
oil and gas, and while renewable energy is growing, we
need to join together to demonstrate a public demandfor power from green, renewable sources.
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You cant make a cake with just one ingredient, and similarly
you cant power the UK with just one energy source.
Renewable energy depends on our natural resources, the
waves, wind and the sun; but while our tides are constant,
its not always windy or sunny. Thats why its important to
have a variety of different ways of generating energy that
complement each other, so that we can always rely on
generating natural power
Can we stop using fossil fuels entirely?
The world has become very used to using fossil fuels toprovide our power, and while were generating more and
more renewable energy, its likely that we will have to rely on
some fossil fuels in the future. The UK currently consumes a
huge amount of energy and its an important topic to ask if
were really making the most efcient use of it.
We can signicantly reduce our energy demand by making
houses and buildings better insulated, and cutting down on
the energy we use in our daily lives, but over the next few
years we will also need to make big decisions about where
our energy comes from.
How does renewable energy work in theUK? At present, the UK gets around 11%of its energy needs through renewablesources. But in order to meet our legallybinding climate targets, well need to
generate more.
All living things contain energy, and biofuels use that stored
energy to generate heat or electricity. This can often take the
form of combustible materials, such as compressed wood
pellets used in central heating furnaces, or industrial or food
waste amd agricultural residue for use in larger biomass
power stations. It can also come from crops specially grown
for the purpose. If its managed properly, biomass is a
sustainable fuel that can deliver a signicant reduction in
net carbon emissions when compared with fossil fuels.
Biogas from anaerobic digestion uses the energy stored
in the gas created from decomposing matter to generate
electricity. Biodegradable material is mixed and heated
in airtight storage bins called fermenters. As the cocktail
of fermenting matter is digested by bacteria they giveoff a mix of gases including methane which is extracted
and pressurised for use in the same way as gas from
underground reservoirs. The gas is burnt to power a turbine
which then powers an electrical generator.
Biogas generation is often very suitable for farms and rural
communities, as the best fuels are liquid manure and silage
and other waste products from farms. The Biogas plants can
range from small installations to large power stations and
play a very important part in the UK energy mix, particularly
for those who live a long way from electricity supplies.
Biofuels
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Geothermal power uses superheated water from deep
below the ground to generate steam, which is used todrives turbine which in turn generate electricity. Its more
common in geologically active countries such as Iceland
where the heat from below the earths crust is closer to the
surface due to its position on the volcanically active Mid
Atlantic Ridge. There are a number of areas in which the UK
could use geothermal energy, including Cornwall, Scotland
and Northern Ireland. The UK and Icelandic governments
are also looking at a highly ambitious interconnector, an
undersea power cable carrying power between Iceland and
the UK.
Ground source heat pumps
Hydroelectric power uses the ow of water to generate
electricity. The UK has used hydropower fo nearly 100 years,and it is one of the most widely used forms of renewable
energy worldwide. In most cases water is held uphill, and
allowed to ows through turbines, which causes them to
turn, generating electricity. The water can come from rivers
or reservoirs of different shapes and sizes, from small micro-
hydropower units to huge dams.
Hydropower is also used for pumped storage. While battery
technology is still not advanced enough to store energy on
an industrial scale, pumped storage goes some way to make
up for this. Water is pumped up a hill to a reservoir, usually
using cheap off-peak electricity. Then at times of increaseddemand the water is released back down the hill, driving
turbines to generate further energy.
Because of the need to store the water downhill, hydropower
is typically found in hillier or mountainous areas, particularly
in Scotland. Around 3.6 GW of energy a year is generated by
hydropower, and around 2.7GW of pumped storage.
Ground source heat pumps are often described as
geothermal energy, but actually the technology is very
different. Here the energy comes not from volcanic heat
from below the ground, but from the sun, absorbed into the
ground around the building. The system works in a similar
way to a fridge, uid owing through a series of underground
pipes outside the building is warmed by heat below the
grounds surface which stays at a steady temperature all
year round. The heated uid is then pumped into radiators
or under-oor heating in the building. Its also possible in
summer to reverse the process and cool the building.
Geothermal Power Hydroelectric Power
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Wave and Tidal Power
If youve ever been to the beach on a windy day youll know
that the waves and tides hold tremendous amounts of natural
energy, able to grind rocks into sand and erode cliffs. As anisland nation, the UK has around 12,400km of coastline,
and a huge potential for generating power. One of the best
things about tidal power is that its as regular as, well, the
tides! Which means that in future it could be extremely helpful
in generating whats called the base load ie the minimum
amount of power we always need whether demand is high or
low.
Capturing energy from the sea is a challenge, and the
machinery needed to do it has to be very robust to cope
with the effects of the environment. Not only does seawater
corrode metal and other materials, it can be a dangerous job
for those who have to install the machinery.
Underwater turbines use a very similar design to wind
turbines, but use the movement of the water to turn the
blades and generate power. There are also several new
devices that are in testing and starting to generate energy on
a commerical level. The Oyster is a giant ap that uses the
power of the waves to pump water at high pressure onto land
to drive turbines, while the Pelamis Wave Energy Converter
uses the motion of the surface waves to generate electricity.
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) power uses solar panels to capture
energy from the sun. Photovoltaic cells, made from semi-
conducting materials like silicon, produce an electric eldwhen light shines on them, which can be used by homes
and buildings to generate heat and light. Youve probably
seen solar panels on the roofs of buildings providing energy
to individual homes and businesses, but there are also a
growing number of solar parks which generate power on a
larger scale.
Solar energy is an important part of the UKs energy mix,
particularly because it reduces the demand from each house
for electricity from the grid. The stronger the sunshine the
more energy produced, and while the UK isnt always the
sunniest country solar panels will still generate power on a
cloudy day.
Solar Power
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Wind Power
Wind power is our most developed renewable energy
technology, and along with biomass is the main source of
our green energy. A wind turbine uses the power of the wind
to rotate turbine blades, which turn an electrical generator to
create power.
Wind turbines come in different shapes and sizes, from
small egg whisk style turbines suitable for buildings and
urban areas, to the huge three-bladed turbines situated
miles offshore. They can also vary from individual turbines in
farms and communities, to groupings in the hundreds. The
UK currently gets
Wind power is variable, in that we cant control when the
wind is blowing. But its very rare for the UK not to encounter
windy weather across the whole of the British Isles. As
Europes windiest country, it makes sense for us to use thewind when its blowing, as this cuts down on the amount of
gas and coal we need to burn.
Wind farms are found on land and at sea, and over the
next decade its expected that as well as onshore wind, we
will build many large-scale wind farms out to sea. This has
already started with wind farms such as the London Array,
the worlds largest wind farm, capable of generating up to
1GW of energy, comparable to a typical coal or nuclear
power station.
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Campaigningguides
Campaigning takes manyforms, and all require someforethought. It might seem
intimidating, but a little bit ofplanning will make a worldof difference. This chaptersets out tips and advice forsome of the most essentialcampaigning activities.
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Strategy
Strategy is the key to running a successful campaign. The word
implies planning, organisation, and a series of manoeuvres in
order to achieve a goal. It incorporates everything from writing
a schedule to establishing a campaign message. Before getting
into the detail of your campaign you need to work out what
your objectives are, how you will measure your progress to your
objectives and what tactics you will deploy.
It is important to identify what you want to achieve and build up
your campaign from there. There are many campaigning tacticswhich you can employ. These will depend on the audiences you
plan to target and to the local issues you may be able to use to
your advantage.
Audience
A campaign is not so much about you as the people who
you will engage with. Your objectives must be relevant to
your audience. Potential audiences or stakeholders in your
campaign include: supporters, community groups, schools,
business, trade unions, shops, religious leaders etc.
Local Issues
A local issue, or local angle to the campaign is more likely
to concentrate the minds of politicians. Making your
campaign local will also make it easier for you to nd partner
organisations and to enlist the support of community groups.
Campaign Tactics
Set up street stalls, organise rallies, and use all the above
methods of communication to make sure as many people as
possible have heard about your campaign.
In addition, it is possible to organise stunts, such as a localopinion poll, which the media may pick up on or to put together
a petition. Not only will this provide a database from which to
contact people (provided they put their addresses down) if it is
Running acampaign
Campaigning is about getting your voiceheard in the court of public opinion.Here are some tips from our campaignsteam to help you get more out of youractivities.
a hard copy petition then you can arrange to present it with the
relevant ofcial such as a local councillor or your MP and this
can make a great photo opportunity.
Communicating your campaign
Write: As a general rule use email to communicate with
supporters of your campaign and write letters to the media
and politicians, since letters tend to be taken more seriously.
Also write up some literature that you can distribute, and
dont forget to include a contact number or email address.
Call: Call up and on as many people as possible to
support your campaign and get them to call the ofce of
the politicians that you are lobbying. Obviously the most
successful type of phone call is polite and rm abusive
phone calls will be dismissed and not taken seriously.
Meet: As always, face to face contact is invaluable. Organise
an event (see How to Organise an Event), set up a stall on
the high street, hold presentations at schools and businesses
do anything you can to put you and your lobbying campaign
out there.
Make it relevant: To maximise publicity for your campaign try
and tie it in to something relevant in the news.
Publicising Your Campaign
If youre running a campaign you need people to be aware of it.The best ways of getting in touch with people is through media,
although face to face contact is also important.
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Media
This includes the internet, newspapers, magazines, radio
(including student-run) and literature. If you have capacity
you should consider creating a website, as this is generally
peoples rst port of call when looking for information. Send
out a press release, provide contact details and let them
know you are available for comments and quotes as well as
interviews. Also alert them to any events you might be holding.
If something related is in the news you can also write a letter
to the editor commenting on the story and expressing your
groups opinion. Youll need to react quickly but this is a great
way of getting coverage in local/regional press.
Social NetworkingSet up an online social networking prole such as a facebook
or twitter account, create a Wikipedia entry, have a database
of people and local groups to email. Basically get in contact
with anyone and everyone relevant to your campaign through
the internet.
Persuade, dont preach
Again, there are two things to be aware of in your bid for
publicity. Firstly, dont preach. Persuade your supporters but
dont talk down to them or patronise them. Secondly, it is
natural that in the course of your campaign there will be badpublicity as well as good. The best responses are the quickest.
If there are issues you anticipate may emerge, be ready to
deal with them.
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Strategy
It is worth considering what you hope to gain from holding
the event. Do you wish to recruit members to the group, hold
a petition on renewable energy or simply to raise the prole
of your campaign? Once you have held the event, what
opportunities will there be for people whose interest you
have captured? Long term goals and objectives will ensure acohesive, organised message for the event.
In order to make your event as professional as possible,
identify your target audience and then tailor your event to
their needs. For example, if your community has a lot of
senior citizens an easily accessible location is important.
Identifying your target audience should enable you to
better choose the location, time, date and method of
communication for your audience.
Event Organisation
To make the event as successful as possible organisation is
key. So work out your costs and stick to a budget. Also have
an idea of what youre doing over the long term, and keep
in mind how far in advance you may need to plan and raise
publicity.
Dont forget to leave enough time to organise it
Make it topical but check the diary to make sure your
event wont have serious competition (such as a World
Cup nal!) Consider inviting guest speakers perhaps a sympathetic
local councillor might add extra weight
Find suitable premises for the expected turnout
sometimes the smaller the better.
Events big or small can provide agreat opportunity to widen the audiencefor your campaign, meet like-mindedpeople and recruit. Whether the event is
just running a stall on the local high street
on a Saturday afternoon or a full-scaleextravaganza, there are a number ofthings you may need to think about:
Running anevent
Make sure you have permission from the relevant
authorities (for example you may need permission from
the council to set up a stall).
Be professional with your presentation and organisation,
eg matching tee-shirts at a street stall
At the event itself there will be lots of things to do, so if
youre the organiser dont over-burden yourself. Instead
delegate, put together a duty roster and recruit volunteers.
Endorsement
Are there any other groups, celebrities or organisations
in your area that might be interested in your event? Think
laterally energy is hugely important and has an impact
on everyone. If you get another network involved you gain
access to a whole new database of people to target.
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Publicity
Theres no point in holding an event if there are no
attendees so publicity is crucial.
The internet can provide a whole host of methods to
publicise your event (often for free). Social networking sites
are a great method of getting people interested as are
websites.
At Action for Renewables we love to hear about your events.
Tell us what youll be doing and we can help you by including
it on our facebook page and letting other activists know.
Publicise on your website or facebook page if you have
one and send event details to related websites for them to
upload. Also send out emails to contacts (these are often
forwarded on) and contact relevant internet communities.
For maximum exposure try to coordinate your event with
something topical and newsworthy before getting in touch
with local newspapers and radio stations (dont forget
student-run media as its often overlooked). Even if your
event isnt a story in itself you may be asked for comments.
Be sure to familiarise yourself with FAQs and briengs and
have copies on hand to refer to!
Finally, dont forget the back to basics approach of knocking
on doors and distributing literature. This requires a sizeable
team and money for printing but can be effective. If you
set up a stall this can be an event in itself so dont forget
to consider factors such as timing and location (aim for
the busiest place at the busiest time of day) and have
lots of enthusiastic people handing out brightly coloured
paraphernalia (leaets, badges, balloons). Also dont forget
to contact local newsletters and put up posters insidecommunity centres, places of worship and cafes.
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Planning the Stall
Although a street stall may seem relatively easy to set up,
planning out a few key details in advance will make sure the
day runs smoothly.
1. Why are you doing the stall?
Its important to be absolutely clear what your aim for the
day will be. Do you want to ask people to sign letters of
support? Do you want to counter the myths youve heardbeing spoken about renewable energy? Do you want to
generate a positive story in the local newspaper? One stall
can do all of these things, but to make sure that theyre
done effectively youll need to ensure that you prepare for
all of them.
2. What will the stall look like?
The simplest way of making your stall look professional is
use a decent tablecloth! Youll also need a banner for the
table to make it clear to passersby what youre campaigningfor there are templates on the Action for Renewables site.
If youre distributing leaets, consider buying plastic display
stands for them theyre cheap, but they add a lot to the
visual impact of the stall.
Setting up astreet stall
A stall in the high street of your town orvillage is a great way attract supportfor renewable energy developmentsnear where you live. A stall does threethings: it provides an effective way of
publicly demonstrating that local peoplesupport the development, gives youan opportunity to put across the truthabout renewable energy, and allows
you to identify other supporters easilyand encourage them to write to localpoliticians.
In this how-to guide, well give you sometips on planning a street stall, and goodpractice for the day itself.
If you have a wall behind you (and have the permission of the
owner of the building), you could put up posters like the ones
in the Action for Renewables les section.
3. What will you put on the stall?
There are several postcard-sized leaets on the Action for
Renewables site you could have printed for the stall to
cover the costs, you can apply to the central campaign by
writing to jonathan.pyke@actionforrenewables.org, telling us
what you plan to do and what you need funding for.
If youre campaigning on a specic project such as a
proposed local solar park or wind turbine which is goingthrough planning, you may wish to encourage people to
sign letters of support. Its vital that youre clear to people
whats on these letters and that youll be submitting them
to the council on their behalf.
4. Where will you put the stall?
In order to make sure that youre reaching as many people
as possible, your location is very important. Consider the
high street of your town, or the main shopping area if
youre campaigning in favour of a wind farm, you mightwant to consider a central area from which the wind farm
will be visible, and including visualisations of what it will
look like when constructed as part of your stall. You can
usually get these from the developer.
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5. When will you do it?
Make sure that you choose a date when you can secure
as many volunteers to man the stall as possible its
usually best to set up a rota, so that people can give a
couple of hours of their time, if thats all they have. If
theres a local carnival or fete, you might be able to set up
your stall as part of it try contacting the organisers.
6. Who will help out?
If you havent already met other renewables supporters in
your area, email us at jonathan.pyke@actionforrenewables.
org and well help put you in touch with other supporters
near you. To make sure that a street stall is successful,
you cant just wait for people to approach you youll
need to go up to people in the area around the stall,asking them to come and sign a letter of support. To
this end, you might nd it effective to put shy people
on the stall with a condent person, to help boost their
condence.
7. Will you invite the press?
Its worth considering inviting the press to your stall,
especially if youve made an effort to make it look
distinctive. Write or call your local papers newsdesk
local journalists tend to like stories about local campaigns
on hot topics like renewable energy. Even if they dont
send someone out, send a good picture of the activity
round the stall along with a press release on the campaign
afterwards making it easy for the paper to run a story
directly from the press release!
A street stall is a great way of encouraging support for
renewables make sure you let us know how you get on!
Give-aways
Freebies are a very good
way of drawing people in
to your stall. You could event
follow this example and make
themed cakes!
Gone with the wind
Come prepared with rocks, pa-
perweights or anything heavy.
Always remember the wind
isnt your friend on a stall! Make
sure your leaets & fact sheets
are weighed down.
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Committee Procedure
You are entitled to attend any planning committee meeting
to hear the applications being considered by the Council.
Committees are usually held on a monthly basis, but may
be more frequent depending upon the Council workload.
Committee dates are usually posted in the Council Ofces
and can be checked with the Council's Committee Clerks
Department or the planning department, or online.
You are also entitled to inspect a copy of the Ofcers Reportto Committee. This is usually available 3/4 days prior to
the committee and sets out the Planning Departments full
consideration of the various planning matters, including a
discussion of any objections or supporting statements.
Check the committee pages of the Councils website for
the agenda and minutes. This document might be helpful if
there are particular objections to the development you feel
you can successfully dispel when speaking to the committee.
The committee agenda will indicate when the applicationwill be considered during the meeting, but often the
order is altered, at the Chairman's discretion, to bring
forward applications where there are signicant levels of
public interest. This is to avoid people having to wait all
evening to hear a particular application. Renewable energy
developments normally have a signicant level of interest.
Speaking at the Committee
In most cases you will need to notify the Council in advance
of your intention to speak. Check with the Planning
Department or Committee Clerks ofce about the procedureadopted in your particular Council.
Attendinga planningcommittee
Speaking at planning committees is oneof the most effective things you can doas a renewables campaigner. This guidewill provide you with advice on attendinga planning committee to voice your
suppor for an application.
The Chairman will invite those who have registered to
speak to address the committee from a suitable position
in the Council Chamber. Two or three minutes are common
time periods allowed for individual public address to the
committee and are strictly controlled.
This is not long and therefore it is a good idea to read a pre-
prepared (and timed) statement or have a series of bullet
points to make sure you remember all the points you wish
to make. Here again, keep your comments simple, and keep
them to the point.
The committee is only interested in the planning merits of
your comments and how they relate to the application. You
may even be prevented from speaking if you just use the
opportunity for making political or personal statements, or if
you lose your temper.
The most effective supporter is always the cool, calm and
collected representative of personal or local opinion, who
has done their homework and presents a logical planning
case for the proposal under consideration.
You may want to focus in particular on your areas renewable
energy targets and environmental policies you can nd
these in your Councils development plan, as discussed in
our Commenting on a Planning Application. If previous
speakers have raised objections and you think you canrespond to them, it may be worth amending your speech to
reect this but make sure you have your thoughts in order
before you go up!
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Anyone is entitled to comment on any planning application
but to be effective, supporting statements must focus upon
the 'planning merits' of the case. These would include the
relevant planning policies applicable to the property and
area concerned, as well as consideration of such matters
as the impact of the scheme upon the local environment,
highways issues, nature conservation, ood risk and many
more detailed issues.
To stand a chance of being taken seriously by the Council
any support must be rational, impersonal and directed
principally to the planning issues raised by the proposal.
Planning Procedure
When a planning application is submitted it is processed
by the planning department within a set procedure.
Applications are usually dealt with within 8 weeks ofsubmission, but delays do occur for a variety of reasons.
Wind farms and in some cases solar parks are controversial,
and so are frequently delayed by an average of up to 18
months.
Once the application is accepted as valid by the Council
a series of consultation letters are sent out to a range of
Statutory Consultees (such as the Highways Department,
Environmental Health, English Heritage etc) which vary
depending upon the individual proposal. These consultees
are required to respond within 21 days with their commentson the application.
The local Parish Council will be notied and they will consider
the application at one of their regular meetings. They will
formally respond giving their views on the application and
stating whether they approve or object.
Local Authorities also carry out public consultation. The way
in which this is undertaken varies considerably between
Councils. Some require the applicant to post a public notice
on the site for a period of 21 days, or place an advert in thelocal paper. Others use their public address database to
select addresses local to the application site for notication
by letter. Weekly planning application lists are typically
published on Council websites.
The only way were going to move Britaintowards a future of cleaner, greenerelectricity to help combat climatechange and secure our energy suppliesis by building our way there.
That means the next few years needto see more renewable energydevelopments being built but right now,only 25% of new wind farms get approvalat the planning committee stage. Thisguide will help you support applicationsfor developments in your area.
Commentingon a planningapplication
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Supporting the Application
While a letter saying simply I support the renewable energy
development at X will count as a valuable supporting
letter, its not as effective as a properly worked-out letter of
support. On the right well go through some steps you can
take to make your supporting letter as effective as possible.
You will usually be asked to make your objection within
the 21-day consultation period established at the outset
of the planning application. However, you can submit
objections / supporting statements right up to the moment
the application is considered, though the later you leave it
though the less chance there is of the Council really giving
your comments due consideration.
This isnt the end of the story, however you can now attend
the Planning Committee at which the fate of this applicationwill be decided. Youll nd out more about this in our
Attending a Planning Committee guide.
4 Steps to a strong supporting statement
1. Review the Local Plan policy.
The Council will have copies of their Local Plan available
either to view or purchase. This may take a bit of
reading but will almost certainly contain policies that
have a bearing upon the application. Do they support
or deter the proposal? You may wish to refer to relevant
policies in your letter of support.
2. Research possible objections to the project.
There are many common myths about renewable
energy, especially wind power which are frequently
used by opponents of clean energy when objecting
to applications youll nd a list of short rebuttalson the Action for Renewables site at www.Action for
Renewablesmyplanet.com/facts. Some of them are
more relevant for planning applications than others
you may wish to discuss issues like noise and visual
impact in your supporting letter.
3. Set out your comments concisely.
Keep it brief long rambling commentary is unhelpful.
You might want to use sub-headings to organise your
points.
4. Send your comments into the Planning Department.
There is usually a Case Ofcer or Area Group allocated
to deal with the application, but if you cannot discover
the exact person then just send your letter to the
Planning Department. Always try and include the
Planning Reference Number and location of the
property. Authorities accept online submissions via the
planning pages of the Councils website.
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Newspapers and online media play a big part in forming
public opinion, which in turn inuences politicians. The
stories they print and their attitude to certain issues will be
shaped by the editor and owner, but also by the public. In an
era of free digital information, to survive a newspaper needs
to sell copies, which often means picking stories, or putting a
spin on news their audiences will want to hear.
After the headlines and opinion pieces, the letters page is
one of the most widely read parts of a newspaper. Enough
letters can persuade the editor to change their point of view,
or at least moderate it. And even more importantly its achance for you to put your argument across, point out any
mistakes the paper has made and perhaps win over other
readers. A good letter can make a huge difference to how the
public feels about an issue.
Letter-writing
Getting your letter read
Every letter makes a difference, but a few points can help
make it more likely your letter gets published.
Be concise, and check previous editions of the paper to
get an idea of the right length.
Keep to just one topic, dont be tempted to try and cover
too much ground. Try to match the style of the paper, and
be sure to check their guidelines on form and content. The
more formal broadsheets such as the Telegraph probably
wont print your letter if you dont address it Sir.
Demonstrate your experience. If the article claimed wind
farms are noisy and disruptive, you will make more of an
impression if you can say you live near one and it hasnt
caused you or your neighbours any problems.
Back up your arguments with facts. The Action for
Renewables website and Renewable UK have lots of
factsheets busting open the myths about wind.
Always read your letter out loud before you send it; its
a good way of checking that it ows properly and makes
sense.
Keep a copy back. Newspapers will often trim a letter
and its useful to be able to compare to see if this has
happened to you.
Only send letters to one national paper. Most national
newspapers and some of the larger regional papers will
only accept a unique letter and will ask if youve sent it to
any other papers.
Get your response in quickly. Todays news is tomorrows
sh and chip paper.
Finally, although we realise that anti-wind coverage can
make you pretty angry (and we get steamed up about ittoo) be passionate and rm in your convictions, but always
be polite. Oh, and dont forget to let us know if you get a
letter published!
As campaigners and activists for greenenergy, writing letters to newspapers and
your elected representatives are some ofthe most useful things you can do.
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As our elected representatives and public servants, MPs are
obliged to listen and respond to our concerns and opinions,
whether weve voted for them or not. A letter is often thebest way to raise attention, as many MPs will assume that
your letter also reects that of many other constituents who
havent written in.
Renewable energy is currently a very politicised topic, and
the debate is often dominated by a noisy minority of anti-
renewables campaigners. As we make long term decisions
about where our country gets its energy from, Its crucial that
the public does all it can to show support for green energy.
Contactingyour MP
Lobbying your local MP is one of themost established campaigning activities.
What should I write?MPs are busy so its important to be brief, to the point,
and to show how the issue affects you and your fellow
constituents. Renewable energy affects us all, because it
is part of the bigger debate about where we get our energy
from. In our current economic climate its vital that we show
public support for wind, wave, solar, biogas and geothermalenergy.
It makes sense economically. Renewable energy is creating
jobs and investment in the UK at a critical time for the
economy.
Our alternatives are expensive and unpredictable. The
UK has an abundance of natural energy in the form of
wind and waves. Last year the rising price of gas made up
around 50% of consumer bills.
The UK needs to do its part to combat dangerous climatechange. Without renewable energy (particularly onshore
wind power) we are unlikely to meet our legally binding EU
carbon targets.
Despite the best efforts of some sections of the media, its
popular. Recent polls for YouGov and the Sunday Times
have all demonstrated high levels of support of renewable
energy of different kinds.
General tipsIf possible, make sure you show support for an actual
renewable energy project in your local area, whether its anoffshore wind farm, solar park or a community scheme. .
Always include your name and your address, so that they know
you are a member of their constituency.
Stay focussed, and stick to one line of argument. Dont be
tempted to cover too much ground.
Be clear, brief and concise. MPs are rarely experts in the eld of
renewable energy and are as liable to be confused by technical
terms and jargon just as much as members of the public.
Wherever possible, ask your MP to take action on your
behalf, either by writing to a relevant minister, raising aquestion in the Commons or supporting a particular piece of
legislation
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Action for Renewables runs regular email campaigns on
important issues involving green energy. If youre taking part
in an Action for Renewables campaign you can personalise
the email you send to your MP. But you can also use the
opportunity to write a follow-up letter of your own. As always,
be polite, and thank them for their time
Getting replies and further action
If theyve been supportive then you may be able to work with
them to raise the prole of renewable energy in Parliament,
or ask them to endorse your campaigning work. You could
also arrange to meet with them to discuss further points.
Its also possible that they (or their research staff) have
written a letter that just copies and pastes a bland ofcial
response. Dont feel like this is the end of the process! Writeback and ask them to respond to the questions youve raised
and explain why you arent happy with their reply. Even if
they disagree with you, always be sure to be polite.
Further activity
While contact with your MP may well start with writing a
letter, there are many different ways that you can put your
views across, including meeting your MP to discuss issues
with them in person, asking them to raise questions in
parliament or even submitting Private Members Bills or EarlyDay Motions.
Finding out who your MP is and getting in touch
with them
Finding out your MPs contact details is easy, and there are
several ways to search for them using your postcode.
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/
http://www.parliament.uk/
http://www.writetothem.com/
The Action for Renewables website also has a number of
campaigns that ask you to contact your MP. Keep checking
back for more updates.
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takingactiontoolkitThis chapter provides somesuggestions for activities torun with local groups and
campaigners.
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Strategy? Or Tactics?
Strategy and tactics are two concepts that are often
mentioned in campaigning, but they arent the same. Put
briey, strategy is a broad over-arching plan to achieve a
goal. Tactics are individual actions that help make up that
strategy. The history and discussion of strategy and tactics is
very long and involving and theres an overwhelming amount
of information on the internet.
A good place to start is http://www.campaignstrategy.org/
Activity: plana campaign
Planning your activity is one of the most important aspects
of campaigning. Its essential because it helps you and
your fellow campaigners to break down an activity and
understand what you need to do to make it a success. And
crucially it also helps you to understand what that success
will look like; helping everyone to feel they are part of a
winning team.
Be honest about what you want to achieveWhen planning its important to be honest with yourself
about what you want to achieve, and whether its really
achievable. Many of us support renewable energy because
we want to tackle climate change. This is an excellent
aspiration, but a big challenge for a group of volunteers; howwill you know your activities are helping? If your planning
session leads you to conclude that youre not ready to tackle
a particular event or challenge, almost always youll have
identied the steps in between you need in order to get
there.
Equally, try not to see your plan as set in stone. A famous
military commander once said no plan survives contact
with the enemy. In other words, things can go wrong,
opportunities can change, and you shouldnt be afraid to
adapt to changing circumstances.
How do you know when youve achieved your objective? If
its running a street stall, that might be when youve packed
up at the end of the day and headed off for a well-deserved
drink. But what was the purpose of running the stall?
Aim:
To help groups constructively map out their ideas for
activities and campaigns, and set goals to achieve.
Time:
30mins-2hrs (depending on the size of the campaign and
number of participants)
What youll need:
Some large sheets of paper (ideally ip-charts), pens, people
and ideas (we nd plenty of refreshments often help the
thought process)
Was it awareness-raising, getting email addresses, or
something else? How well did it go? Setting targets helps
you understand what has worked and what hasnt, which will
make your group all the more effective next time. Its great
for motivating people and helping you pitch your activities at
the right level.
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Step by step Discussion: What activity will best achieve yourobjective?
On separate sheets, start writing down what you need to
achieve these objectives.
Depending on the objective you might start with resources
or activities rst but you will mainly nd that its a mix of
both.
For example, if your objective is to get new members of
the group, you might decide you need a public meeting
(Activity), which will mean nding a venue (Resource)
putting up posters (Activity) and getting a local councillor
to speak (in which case their contact details are a
resource and contacting them is an activity).
Stay aoat by checking your RAFT!
Is it Realistic? Can you really get 40 activists to abseil
down the town hall with a banner?*
Is it Attractive? How will your audience react to it? Will they
be interested and engaged?
Is it Focussed? Are you sure it will achieve your objective?
Is it Targeted? Can you measure it? How will you know
youve been successful?
Setting targets
Looking at your objective again, try and set targets that
help you understand how well youre doing. Dont be afraid
to aim high.
Take a moment to work out how youll evaluate the session
afterwards, this could be a quick meeting to talk about
what worked and what didnt, to an email or an online poll
through facebook.
To nish
Finish by lling in the feasibility triangle sheet. The sheethelps as a record for your event and can be photocopied for
everyone taking part as a reminder.
Start things off by making sure everyone is clear what you
want to achieve.
Do you have a particular activity that you want to undertake
or are you looking for ideas?
Make sure that everyone knows when you expect to nish
and what you want to have agreed.
Introduce the feasibility triangle.The triangle is a tool to help shape your ideas.
Its based on 3 points, your objective, the activity needed
and the resources needed. Every one of these sides is vital,
the best placed stall wont work without materials to put on
it and people to volunteer, and the most well-run meeting
wont be a success without people there to listen and take
part.
Discussion: Agree your objectives
If you have a large group, take 10 to 15 minutes in smaller
groups to discuss different objectives.
What is the most important thing your group needs to
achieve right now? Is it more people? Do you want to
raise awareness by running an event? Do you need to get
people to send letters to planning ofcers to support a
community or local wind farm/solar park?
If you have lots of ideas, write them down and discuss
briey why they should be considered
Be aware that as in all group activities, those who are the
most condent may dominate the session, especially in
large groups, make sure everyone has a chance to feed
into the conversation, often the quiet ones are sitting on a
brilliant idea!
Write up your objective on ip chart paper. Now you know
what you want to achieve, you can start looking at the
resources you need to achieve it.
*If you really can, then tell us. Well be there!
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Our objective is to...
Targets(Well know its worked if...)
Resources(To do this well need...)
Activities(To achieve it we need to...)
Evaluate!is it Realistic?
is it Attractive?
is it Focussed?
is it Targeted?
Campaign Activity Planner
Permission granted to photocopy for personal use.
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Aim
Create a good looking banner to use for your activities
Time: From 1-3hrs
What youll need
The skys the limit here, but depending on your resources,
youll most likely need
fabric for the banner such as a sheet or ripstop nylon
paint or dye to write on/illustrate it
a team of creative and enthusiastic people
Ideas and inspiration
Think about what you want to have on the banner. Do you
want to have a slogan? What colours would you use? If you
plan to use the banner for stunts or photoshoots, often the
simpler the better, and make sure its legible from a fair
distance away!
To help you plan out your ideas weve included a few
examples of campaign banners.*
Make a campaignbanner
A good looking campaign banner is anincredibly useful campaign tool. Youcan use it for stalls, to set the scene atmeetings and particularly for photoswith the press. It helps to give your
campaign a visual identity so that whenpeople see it they understand who
you are and what youre campaigningfor, and is very useful if youre thinkingabout an attention-grabbing stunt. Theycan also be very fun to make and helpbring a group together.
*Images are provided for example only and do not constitute an endorsement for
the relevent organisation or campaign.
What nextNow youve made your banner, youll want to show it off! A
banner drop is a classic way of getting attention and very
easy to organise. Pick a well-known local spot such as a
bridge or town hall and get as many people as you can to
hold the banner up. The bigger the better! Dont forget to
have someone take some pictures for newsletters, emailgroups and sending to the press.
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Aim
Get rst-hand experience of renewable energy
Understand the impact of renewable energy sites
Develop some of your own campaigning reasons for
supporting green energy
Time
1-3 months to prepare
half to 1 day for the visit
What youll need
List of renewables operators
Transport arrangements
Audio recorder (optional)
Organise a visit to awind farm or solarpark
Getting up close and personal withrenewable energy can be a little difcultwithout planning, as most sources ofpower such as wind turbines and solarparks are on private land, and wave and
tidal generators are out to sea. Howevermany operators will be happy to showgroups around if contacted. Its also agreat way to get to grips with the benetsof renewable energy and particularlyuseful for those who might be concernedabout wind farm noise.
Activities
Before the visit
Do some background research and discuss your
expectations. If youve never visited a wind farm or seen a
large wind turbine in operation, what are you expecting?
What negative things have you heard about
During the visit
Talk about your impressions of the site, (its useful tocapture these on the audio recorder. Ask people to talk
about how the site feels up close, especially if its a wind
farm. Is it noisy? How is it tting into the local environment?
After the visit
Review all the comments that people made before and
during the visit. Were your expectations conrmed? What
was different? This can be very helpful in understanding
peoples concerns about renewable energy, especially wind
power, and to help when talking to people about wind farms.
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20 minutes from Central Glasgow, Whitlee, Europes largest
wind farm has a brand new interactive visitor centre where
you can learn about renewable energy and head out to
over 70km of cycling, walking, horse rinding and outdoor
activities.
Whitelee Windfarm Visitor Centre
Eaglesham, Strathclyde G76 0QQ
www.whiteleewindfarm.co.uk
The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) in Machynlleth in
Wales, is a near Snowdon, is an education and visitor centre
which demonstrates practical solutions for sustainability.
They cover all aspects of green living: environmental
building, eco-sanitation, woodland management, renewable
energy, energy efciency and organic growing.
Centre for Alternative Technology
Machynlleth, Powys SY20 9AZ
www.cat.org.uk
The EcoTech Centre at Swaffham in Norfolk aims to inform
the public about sustainablitiy and renewable energy. As
well as the the worlds fastest wind powered car and a large
solar array, there are great views from the observation
platform built at the top of the centres wind turbine.
EcoTech Centre
Swaffham, Norfolk PE37 7HT
www.ecotech.co.uk
Delabole wind farm was the rst commercial wind farm to be
built in the UK, and is still going strong. If youre in Cornwall
why not stop by? The wind farm is run by Good Energy, and
can be found 3 km north west of Camelford, and in easy
reach of many of Cornwalls best tourist spots.
Speak to owner Martin Edwards to arrange group tours.
01840 214 100
There are a growing number ofdedicated visitor centres in the UK where
you can nd out more about windenergy and other renewable sources.
Delabole, Cornwall
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AimFind out a bit more about the different types of renewable
energy in the UK
Bring people together in support of
Time: 1-1.5hrs (Film 33mins)
What youll need
A copy of the Oddies Oddyssey DVD
DVD player and a large TV or projector
Popcorn or snacks
Somewhere to show the DVD. Depending on the size of
your audience, this could be anything from your front
room to a community centre. Or if youre condent with
the weather, why not show it outside with a barbecue and
some drinks?
After the lm has nished, why not have a groupdiscussion?
What was the most inspiring about the video?
What have you learned that might be useful in discussing
renewable energy?
Has the video raised questions for your group to
What should you do next? This is a great opportunity to
either plan your next campaigning activity or to publicise
your next event.
Oddies OddysseyScreening
Our short lm, Oddies Odyssey followsrenowned UK broadcaster and naturalistBill Oddie as he travels round the UKlooking at different forms of renewableenergy. Its a great introduction to some
of the reasons behind green energy andhow they work, so if you are just startingout campaigning for renewable energywhy not have a screening for your group?
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Resources order form
Wind Energy for Kids Oddies Oddyssey DVD
Embrace Lapel Badges Posters
I heart wind button badges Action for Renewables
Sign-up Postcards
I heart wave button badges
The following Action for Renewables resources are available to help you with your campaign activitiy.
Please fl the required amount in each box (subject to availability), your details, and return to the address
provided below.
Please complete and return this form by email, post or fax.
Email: jonathan.pyke@renewableUK.com
Fax: 020 7901 3001
Post: Action For Renewables c/o RenewableUK, Greencoat House, Francis Street, London SW1P 1DH
Contact NameGroup or organisation
Delivery dddress
Postcode
Contact Telephone
Contact Email
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Action For Renewables
(Supported by RenewableUK)
Tel: +44 (0)20 7901 3035 Fax: +44 (0)20 7901 3001RenewableUK Greencoat House Francis
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