What is the Big Green Challenge??

• UK’s biggest ever Climate Change competition

• A 1 year competition in which communities attempt to reduce their carbon emissions by up to 60%.

• The Challenge has a £1 million prize fund

We have made it into the Final

We are 1 of 10 UK Communities competing for the £1 million prize

What is The Green Valleys Project??• A community led initiative to mitigate the effects of Climate Change and

Peak Oil

• Communities, businesses and the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority are working together to drive down Carbon emissions

• Actively seeking out ways to generate income from a low carbon economy

• A self financing system that uses money generated from electricity sales to pay for further installations

• Developing local skills that can ‘seed’ similar initiatives throughout the UK

The Green Valleys Initiative• 11 community groups have been

set up with another 7 groups being developed

• Some groups have over 100 members

• Homes and businesses are being carbon audited - some have reduced their carbon footprint by 80%

• Planning a sustainable future for each community from the bottom up.

• Website with blogs, videos, events and advice is set up

Community & Collective Energy Generation

• Hydro GenerationLow & High Head Schemes

• Solar Thermal & Photovoltaic

• Anaerobic DigestionCommunity, Commercial & Joint Schemes being considered.

• Heat Pumps• Wind Turbines

Hydro

AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT WE ARE CAPABLE OF STARTING AND ARE

ALREADY DELIVERING

THE FUTURE IS AN EXCITING ONE

All kW examples are based on the national average consumption in the average home

Hydro Generation

In 2008 13 Hydro schemes were installed across Britain of which 6 were within the Brecon Beacons National Park/The

Green Valleys Area

The Green Valleys are presently doing feasibility studies and developing project plans for 92 hydro installations

(capacity to deliver 15% of our regions power). All installations will be locally owned and a percentage of

profits will flow back into the financing of more community owned installations

Talybont Community Hydro 34kW - Installed 2006

Produces power for 70 homes

Llanover 11kW Hydro - Installed Sept 2007Produces power for 20 homes

Llangynidyr Hydro 3.7kW - Installed Oct 2007

3.3kW

Produces Power for 6 homes

Cusop Dingle Hydro 8kW- March 2009Will produce power for 15 homes.

Abercraf 12.7 kW Hydro - Installed July 2008

Produces power for 25 homes

Abercraf Hydro 3.5 kW - Installed Aug 2008

3.3kW Produces power for 6 homes

Llyn y Fan Fach Hydro 9kW – Installed Sept 2008

Produces power for 15 homes. Has capacity to power 90 homes.

Retro-fitting Reservoirs

Reservoirs:• 9 decommissioned hydro

reservoirs are unused in our locality

• They have the capability to power = 900 homes (8% of Brecon Beacons)

• Grwyney Fawr, Crai and Trecastle Groups are in discussions with Welsh Water to develop these as community hydros– but we need political support!

Dyffryn Crawnon

Reservoirs:• 3.7kW hydro was installed in 2008• 17 kW Community owned Hydro is

to be built summer 2009 and will generate 190% of the electrical need for the valley and reduce the entire communities carbon emissions by 42%

• 5 other streams have been surveyed in the valley with a combined potential for 33kW of power.

• It will cost us £150K to do ALL of this, but the annual return will be £45K per annum. This is a 94% reduction in carbon emissions

• Dyffryn Crawnon CAN become the UKs first Carbon Negative Community and we will replicate throughout The Green Valleys and rural UK.

Key stories that need to be told…• Only one of our 10 hydros completed in the last 3 years has qualified for

the UK government grants. This is because we use each installation as a training opportunity for local people and build them ourselves. We have, however, now developed a capable and knowledgeable local workforce.

• Our Completed schemes can cost less than many other hydro schemes initial feasibility studies! We do all feasibility studies ourselves through trained local volunteers. Payback can be in as little as two years.

• In Two years we have installed the electrical capacity for 1.5% of our regions homes. All money is retained within the local community.

Present Situation

Reservoirs:• New members are joining

every day• New financial groups are

being explored including Community Interest Companies (30+ viable schemes)

• Sir David King said “This is a locally based initiative that has the advantage of reaching segments of the population that top-down initiatives often can’t.”

View our Website

Our website has been live for a couple of weeksand is designed for the communities to communicate with each other, sharing ideas and a portal for gaining new members into The Green Valleys and to inspire communities all around thethe United Kingdom.

www.thegreenvalleys.org

www.thegreenvalleys.org

Want To Know More

Please Contact:Michael Butterfield at The Green Valleys

• Tel: 07968 671 257• Email: michaelbutterfield@hotmail.com• Address: 2 Canal Close, Llangattock,

Crickhowell, Powys, NP8 1LZ

The copyright for all images in “The Green Valleys Introduction Pack” are owned by Mike Goldwater http://www.mikegoldwater.com