Enhancing community investment in sustainable energy in Ireland: Learnings from the Community wind farm in Templederry, Co. Tipperary

Seamus Hoyne, LIT

Pauline Ryan, LIT

John Kelly, LIT

BEHAVE ConferenceSaid Business School, Oxford3rd September 2014

• Upland parish, declining population – rural Ireland

• Rural development consultation (1999)• Energy identified as key opportunity• Wind, Wood, AD feasibility examined.• Wind development company formed and

locals invited to invest (2001/2012)• Public meetings, parish newsletter, local

press etc.• Initial investment €500, subsequent

investments over 10 years.• Ownership vs community benefit approach• Studies (Munday et al, 2011; SQW and QU,

2012) that ownership is a key component for acceptance

• This was the first attempt at community ownership model in Ireland

Context

Public Consultation/Investment

2001

Grid & Planning Applicati

on

2003

Grid Connection Offer

2007

2nd Plannin

g

2009

Finance,

Legals, PPA

2011

Turn On – Nov.

2012

Grid Moratorium

Revised Planning

Objectives

Economic Crisis

RISK

TECHNOLOGY

FINANCE

Research Question

What were the non-technical reasons behind the success of the Templederry project?

Research Approach

Surveys using semi-structured interviews

28 interviews – diverse cross section of society and involvement in project development

Interviews completed May/June 2013

Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis

Templederry Energy Resources Membership Profile

Category Sub-Category Percent Response

Gender Male 70Female 30

Age 18-29 years 1430-49 years 2950-64 years 4665 + years 11

From the area Native 71Non-native 29

Length of time in area

Less than 5 years 75-10 years 011-15 years 716-20 years 5Greater than 20 years

24

All my life 57

Motivation

Economy

Employment

Environment

“…I thought it was a sustainable kind of a thing that could go on and that there might be a future in it and it was a community based thing as well…”

Staying the Course

“… one of the motivating factors was that I didn’t want the system to beat the project, that there was a lot of technical issues and planning issues that were a challenge to overcome, like that was the motivation, I think the collective drive of the group of people at the core of the project was motivating in itself …”

“… I have tremendous trust and faith in the management here, that core group.... I have great confidence in them and I would have backed them even if it was a long shot ...”

“…we had a sort of residual determination within the group to succeed; again I would put it down to knowledge of the group that were involved, I felt that we were capable of going through with it…”

“…any community development I think it needs patience and I think it needs honesty in that it might fail. We all have hopes and expectations, but they mightn’t be realised …”

External Supports

Wind

Farm

Tipperary Energy Agency

Local Authority

Enercon

Local Development Company

Technical Expertise

Planning

Finance

Seed Funding

Why are Community RES projects not happening Financial structures are not appropriate or supportive of

community investment

“System” not designed for community projects – planning, legals, grid connection

Lack of technical knowledge within communities

Opposition to wind has grown due to lack of engagement with and involvement of communities (Warren, MacFayden, 2010)

National Economic and Social Council (2013) has highlighted the need for “….the support of a multiplicity of stakeholders, including communities.”

Conclusions

The Templederry project was successful primarily due to the belief and drive of the investors (and in particular a core group of members)

Values: Honesty, Transparency, Trust

Characteristics: Persistence, Emotional Strength, Determination

New Legal and financial models had to be developed to meet the needs of the project

Supporting agencies within the region support the project ethos and approach

Developing future ‘Templederrys’ will require capacity building for communities

Particular focus on determination, leadership, trust, emotional strength

Communities will require individuals who can envision, develop and sustain

Further research

Compare data with other project types in EU and benchmark against relevant theories

Develop framework which encompasses technical, financial and non-technical aspects of community RES development

Contacts & Contributors Seamus Hoyne

Head of Department

Seamus.hoyne@lit.ie

@shoyne

Pauline Ryan

Lecturer

Pauline.ryan@lit.ie

John Kelly

Graduate, Environmental and Natural Resources Mgt, LIT

Tipperary Energy Agency Ltd, www.tea.ie

North Tipperary Leader Partnership, www.ntlp.ie