Camborne Pool Redruth Sustainable energy for a prosperous future What’s this booklet all about? This booklet will try to explain, as simply as So what exactly is the possible, what we’d like to do, where we’re problem here? hoping to do it, how it might be done and why we think it’s important to do it. It’s about At the moment, Cornwall is a net importer of thinking ahead, planning for the future and energy. We don’t generate enough of our own helping Cornwall to reap the greatest possible energy to prevent money draining out of the rewards, economically, socially and county. So apart from anything else, there’s a environmentally. very strong economic opportunity to begin generating more energy locally. The sheer For now we would like you just to digest the scale of the plans for Camborne Pool Redruth information given here and think about the (CPR) gives us a unique chance to start at vision we have for Camborne Pool and square one. It makes so much more sense to Redruth to become a sustainable energy factor in energy considerations from the community. We are also seeking your views, beginning than it does to carry on regardless ideas and support from the local community and then think about energy later, when all the on the proposals presented in this booklet. big decisions have already been made. There’s something else too: almost a third of Who are ‘WE’ then? households in the area are in ‘fuel poverty’, where energy bills swallow up at least 10% of We are the Cornwall Sustainable Energy a household’s income. So as well as the Partnership (CSEP). As the name suggests, strong economical and environmental reasons we’re a cross-sector partnership, set up to there’s a third, social dimension too: this is a encourage the sustainable use and provision quality of life issue. of energy as a way to fight climate change, ensure energy security, economic growth and social benefits. We’ve all got our reasons... Our partners in this project are Camborne Our motivations might differ slightly, but both Pool Redruth Regeneration (CPRR). The CSEP and CPRR are intent on the same developments planned for this part of outcome. The regeneration of the area is a Cornwall are on a huge scale; people will massive project: CPRR is keen to see its work, live, meet, relax and exercise in major success stimulate economic growth across the new buildings throughout the area. The area. CSEP wants the project to show the questions is, where will all these buildings get benefits locally of factoring sustainable energy their energy? How will it be generated? How considerations into the design and building much will it cost? What will be the impact on process, but we also want the area to the environment and how long it might last? become a flagship example of what could be These are questions we believe need to be achieved both in and out of the county. answered now, at the planning stage. Decisions taken now will affect how much Carbon dioxide (CO2) the area will produce for the next century or more. CO2 is the major contributing greenhouse gas causing climate change. Stop importing energy, start We’ve been here before exporting knowledge Cornwall’s led the way in technological This is nothing to do with simply feeling innovation before. Cornish tin and copper good about ourselves, it’s about hard once dominated global supply; this wasn’t economics. Part of the regional develop- just because there happened to be a great ment strategy for Cornwall is to develop deal of it beneath Cornwall, but because the ‘knowledge economy’. (In other words, Cornwall also led the way in steam and we can’t prosper any more just by making associated engineering. In fact many of the things; the key to future prosperity lies in industrial revolution’s key innovations were knowing how to do things ... ) pioneered in this county, as was the UK’s first wind turbine (Redruth, 1890) and the So although we’re keen to see this project first commercial wind farm (Delabole, work for all the reasons we’ve mentioned, 1991). There was even a local energy we also want Cornwall to establish a supply company (ESCo) in Camborne in reputation as a leader - nationally and 1899. internationally - in this field. Cornwall really could become synonymous with expertise So we’ve been local leaders before; for the in renewable energy, and boost the local long-term future of our local economy, as economy by exporting our knowledge. well as our environment and our people it’s a status we urgently need to regain. The skills required to research, plan, cost and build sustainable buildings go hand in hand with the skills required, once they’re In an ideal world built, to maintain, upgrade, refurbish and repair them. If Cornwall is to take a lead in There would be no variables or this area then it will need architects, unanswered questions. Unfortunately there builders, plumbers, electricians and all are, and the lack of resolution at this time associated specialists trained and equipped on a couple of key issues means it’s to deal with the work this entails. A start has impossible to be as certain in our plans as already been made to this with Cornwall we’d like to be. Specifically, the degree to offering two out of only four institutes which South Crofty will re-open as a running undergraduate courses purely in working mine, and also exactly how renewable energy, one of which is the potential regeneration sites will be longest running course of its type in the UK. developed. For example, the Dundnance Lane Implementation Plan where development could include things like a new health and leisure complex, together with the Redruth Corridor, The Trevenson Road Implementation Plan, The Heartlands Project and up to 6000 new homes. These are huge projects and whichever option goes ahead, it will make massive difference to the energy needs and opportunities of the area. What difference can we make? 1. All Low Energy Light Fittings If a business-as-usual approach to energy These are fittings that will only take a low supply is taken with the new developments energy lightbulb. A minimum number are now being planned for Camborne, Pool and required in new homes as standard, but bigger Redruth, then by 2020 they will add an savings could be made if all fittings were of this type, when combined with the phasing out of extra 16,000 tonnes of CO2 per year to the area’s existing footprint. Imagine if that traditional lightbulbs in the UK. happens in new developments everywhere and you start to see how big the effect on 2. South to North Facing Glazing climate change could be. Whilst the fast- This means increasing the free natural light growing CO2 emissions of countries like China can seem to make our impact very and warmth available from the sun by small we believe we have an important role designing buildings so the south face has bigger to play by demonstrating how making new windows and the North face has smaller developments as environmentally-friendly as windows to reduce heat loss. possible can be good for the economy and quality of life too. And after all, we are in no 3. Aerated hot water fittings position to criticise countries like China for not doing something we aren’t prepared to These mix air with water to reduce the do ourselves. amount of hot water needed from taps and showers. They should be fitted as standard in all homes. So what are the options, then? 4. Reduced Infiltration - slowing down air leakage Recent changes to Building Regulations have introduced improved standards of energy The new regulations already require that efficiency to new houses. This means that houses are made more ‘air-tight’ to reduce CO2 emissions are now 20% less for energy loss and Building Control Officers are homes built since April 2006. responsible for checking that new homes pass a ‘pressure test’ to prove they meet the new Since 2006, changes to Building Regulations standard. Again, we could do better and reduce introduced improved minimum standards of air leakage from new homes even further. energy efficiency for new houses which mean that CO2 emissions are now 20% less for homes built since April 2006. 5. Condensing boilers However we can do even better. By These super efficient boilers are now fitted as adopting the following five additional low standard in most new build homes since the cost measures in all new builds we can save 2006 building regulations came into force. 10% more CO2 than the new standard: “Sustainable” ways to generate the energy for our homes and other buildings Here we’ll run through some of the best The five measures mentioned on the left are renewable energy opportunities that have the most cost effective above standard ways already been identified for the Camborne to save CO2 at the moment. If other Pool Redruth area, and talk about their measures like triple glazing, active heat attractions and drawbacks. exchangers and renewable energy are also used we could achieve ‘zero-emission’ Different solutions are needed for each developments situation. Due to factors like start-up costs, planning consents, running costs etc, some These additional measures currently cannot options might be feasible on a small but not a be enforced in the planning process, but on large scale. Some might suit residential but not a development-by-development basis they commercial properties, while others might be could be encouraged as a target worth suitable only for new builds rather than for aiming for. And the good news is that the retro-fitting to existing buildings. Site specific Government now has a target for all new projects will need to be assessed in detail on a homes to be zero carbon by 2016. CO2 case by case basis to find the right solution. and energy saving targets will be raised over time to meet this goal at the earliest opportunity. Wind Similar guidelines apply to new commercial You probably won’t be surprised to learn buildings, called the ECON 19 benchmark. that conditions locally are excellent for Adopting comparable measures in our generating energy from the wind, and we places of work to those we have in our really need to adjust to the idea of making homes, would lead to a 25% reduction in the most of our best natural resources CO2 emissions over and above this wherever we can. At local community level benchmark. this could include smaller turbines in clusters, or even a single large turbine, These relatively small-scale measures are suitable for generating our electricity on a the cheapest way to reduce carbon community-sized scale. We know the emissions. As a rule of thumb, it costs less to economic cost of installing wind power reduce the demand for energy than it does currently favours large scale generation but to generate more of it. it may be possible to overcome this as However, we also need to think about renewable energy targets and the price of where the energy we do need comes from! fossil fuel energy rise. Aiming high for future energy in CPR CPR will need a supply of woody crops for some community size CHP schemes

Biomass (getting energy from On a larger scale, Miscanthus used in a wood and crops) Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system at one of the proposed developments in The basic theory behind biomass is that a CPR, looks economically viable when plant takes up as much CO2 whilst it is cost-tested against conventional options. growing as is released when it is burnt to Given that so little biomass is currently produce energy. This is why biomass is grown in Cornwall, we suggest that it thought of as ‘carbon neutral.’ However, would be best to start small and grow because of transport emissions, it is only slowly. Otherwise a demand would be carbon neutral if sourced within a certain generated which can’t be met by local distance of the boiler where it’s burnt for supply. The project team would be energy. This distance depends on the type interested to hear from farmers and of biomass used. landowners in the surrounding area who Sourcing biomass from woody crops like think they may be able to provide part of short rotation coppice (usually willow) and the supply solution to meet future demand woodland thinnings is limited by the lack of in CPR. significant scale forestry in the CPR area, plus There is also potential for small biomass slightly challenging growing conditions. To be systems in the area that could be supplied carbon neutral, forestry residues should be by waste wood from local businesses, collected from sites within a 50-80km radius. which could release less CO2 than The most promising biomass crop for this transporting wood waste to landfill. area is Miscanthus or ‘Elephant Grass.’ This Ideally a local pellet processing plant would is a 10ft high perennial grass which can be need to be built to make the best use of processed into energy rich pellets for more any Miscanthus and wood waste resource efficient burning. It has high natural pest and available and proposals to provide this disease-resistance, grows without the need support technology are also in progress for fertilisers, can offer opportunities for within Cornwall. wildlife and needs no replanting for at least ten years which is good for protecting soils. Duchy College at Rosewarne already has a pioneering biomass boiler which is fuelled by Miscanthus grown on the farm. To be carbon neutral, the maximum distance from field to boiler is 30km. Geothermal Energy (aka Energy from Waste (where warm water from old mines... ) there’s muck there’s gas... ) As we mentioned before, not only was This is exciting technology with huge Cornwall the hub of world tin mining about promise for environmental, economic and 150 years ago, but Camborne Pool and energy wins. There are several types of Redruth formed the centre of that hub. waste that could be used to generate This means that the area is full of energy - Municipal Solid Waste (MSW - mineshafts, down which there is warm household waste), Commercial and water to provide a source of energy, Industrial wastes (C&I), and waste already around 14-15˚C it takes just a little processed sewage sludge or farm animal top up energy to make it a valuable source slurries. of heat for buildings. Deeper waters are The cleanest, most efficient process of warmer but more expensive to access. making energy from waste is called An initial technical study carried out in Advanced Thermal Treatment (ATT). CPR concluded that the use of heat There are two processes possible here: pumps and CHP to extract energy from the Pyrolysis involves heating waste, but in the near surface mine water is feasible and this absence of oxygen; this makes sure could lead to big CO2 savings. combustion, such as you’d see in an Unfortunately, if South Crofty mine is fully incinerator, doesn’t happen. drained in order to restart commercial mining, then this would mean that large- Gasification falls between pyrolysis and scale heating schemes from this source combustion, small quantities of oxygen are won’t be possible. If the mine is not present in the process, but again, this is not “de-watered” then there is great potential incineration. to utilise this energy resource. Like most cutting edge stuff, ATT is a very expensive process and to be viable needs to earn a good ‘gate fee’ for the waste taken in. It only really works economically and environmentally - if the plant where the heat’s generated is quite close to whatever facility will be using the generated heat and/or electricity.

Showing how water from disused coal mine can be used for district heating – the same principle applies to a tin mine Another even greener energy from waste process is anaerobic digestion (AD). This is already widely used to treat animal and food wastes. Very simply the waste is decomposed to produce methane which can be cleanly burnt to create energy, (rather than released into the atmosphere from landfill where it is a more potent greenhouse gas than CO2). It has the added bonus of Micro-hydro schemes - producing a residue which can be used as water power fertiliser. However, a large organic waste resource is needed to make anaerobic There’s a leat (an artificially-created digestion economically viable and we would watercourse) which runs from the Red River need to look to local agriculture and food into the South Crofty site, and there are processing industry for raw materials. possibilities of using this for a micro-hydro system for generating power. Quite a lot of To complicate matters, a local energy from repair work would need to be done on the waste plant probably won’t be able to make site though, as the leat has run dry in places, its use of CPR’s MSW because the plan is to route into South Crofty is hard to make out send it to the central energy from waste and its flow is not constant. More technical incinerator, proposed for mid Cornwall. work also needs to be done to confirm if Power from C&I waste seems the likeliest there are other viable micro-hydro schemes in option for this area, and we really need a the area and then if there are, there is a local site to be included in the Cornwall lengthy licensing process to go through. Waste Development Framework. At the same time we need to get local industries interested in supplying their waste to a local Combined Heat and Power power plant. This could save the business (CHP) Systems money, as well as reduce some heavy goods traffic in and out of the county. CHP is a technology that uses the heat created as electricity is generated. This technology uses fuel up to 50% more efficiently than standard elec-trical generation, because heat is recovered rather than just escaping up a chimney. Furthermore this technology is available on a range of scales from domestic to large industrial uses. There is lots of scope for development in CPR to use this type of technology. Small domestic CHP units for individual homes are also being developed, that generate both heat and electricity for the home. They work best in older homes with solid stone or granite walls that are difficult to insulate, so in the future, instead of replacing your old boiler with a traditional one, micro CHP could be an efficient, affordable alternative. By kind permission of Cornish Redruth Studies Library, Ground Source Heat Pumps Heat pumps (shown below) make use of solar heat that has accumulated in the ground and transfers it into buildings to heat the space and sometimes the hot water system. Some electricity is needed to run the pumps and this system is more expensive to install than electric heating but the running costs are considerably lower. Heat pumps are cheaper to install in new building programmes and work best with steady under floor heating as the temperatures generated are typically lower

than those usually found in domestic heating By kind permission of Housing Association Penwith systems. In a suitable building, heat pumps can now compete with gas on running The Role of Planning costs. The Tolvaddon Energy Park and CPR New government and regional guidance Learning Space are heated in this way and means that planners cannot require CSEP has helped Coastline Housing to developers to use specific energy saving or make use of this technology for some of renewable energy measures. their domestic properties. They can however ask for a certain percentage CO2 saving or sustainable building code level to be met and then allow flexibility for developers to use a combination of the most appropriate measures on a particular site. CSEP is working with Kerrier District Council, CPR Regeneration and Cornwall County Council to help them develop supportive and practical planning policies for renewable energy in new developments. There is also a great deal of work going on nationally to update planning guidance in line with the Government’s priorities to reduce By kind permission of Housing Association Penwith greenhouse gas emissions and support the renewable energy business sector. Unfortunately, changes to planning policy do take time to implement! In the near future, there will be a new regional requirement for larger developments to meet a percentage of their energy needs from on-site renewable energy. CSEP has been lobbying for Local Authorities to have the flexibility to set higher standards than the minimum that will

By kind permission of Redruth Cornish Studies Library, be set in this new Regional Spatial Strategy. Energy Service Company who can provide know-how and access to “ESCo’s” loan finance - and the local public sector, who would bring equity and access to local Large scale energy projects are expensive to projects, as well as ensuring the ESCo get off the ground. How you get help with contributes to the regeneration objectives these costs is to raise project finance based of the area. on projections of how much energy you’ll Other communities and Cornwall as a be selling, and to whom. Selling to and whole could also benefit from this early receiving payments from more than one ESCo concept. customer is a specialist business best handled either by a) a utility; b) an However, for the successful establishment experienced contractor; or c) a special of an ESCo, it’s important to have a large, ESCo, to provide energy services to low-risk project ready to go in order to customers. attract loans and funding. Some of the regeneration proposals, for example the An initial study indicates that an ESCo would new sports and leisure centre, could be the be a practical and beneficial way to finance type of project upon which an ESCo could local energy projects, as well as ensuring be founded. that jobs, economic benefits, knowledge and reinvestment of proceeds into other In addition, developing an ESCo is a similar projects would all stay within the complex legal and financial process. local area, all of which is great news. Like any other business, an ESCo would be able So while we are waiting for the details of a to raise project and loan finance if it had a suitable project to emerge, CSEP and CPRR strong business plan with the promise of are having discussions with potential funders low-risk returns for investors. The advice and a specialist study is being carried out to we have had is that the most beneficial kind confirm the most viable structure and of ESCo for the CPR area would be a purpose of an ESCo. partnership between private contractors - By kind permission of South Western Electricity Historical Society By kind permission of CPRR So what are we going to do What can you about it? do to help? A technical feasibility study funded by Whilst we are working on moving forward SWRDA and EDF Energy was carried out in the big things like building design, planning 2006 to look at all the options mentioned in policy and renewable energy systems, this booklet. Since then CSEP has been everyone in the local community can help working with CPRR, SWRDA, Kerrier us to achieve the vision of making District Council, Cornwall County Council, Camborne, Pool and Redruth a sustainable CUC, Cornwall Economic Forum and Julia energy community, by reducing the amount Goldsworthy MP, to progress the of energy used in existing homes, recommendations made in that study. businesses and other buildings and finding Initially we have been encouraging and ways to reduce car journeys. assisting greater take up of renewable And most important of all, if we are to energy in new and existing buildings, make the vision come true, we need the engaging with renewable energy installers support and involvement of the local who set up or relocate in the area, community. If you live or work in the CPR researching ESCo’s and seeking much area, we will be seeking views, support and needed funding to progress these ideas on the suggestions and proposals proposals. We have been awarded discussed in this booklet. We will try to European funding for a project called reach as many people as possible, but if you ‘ASPIRE’, which will help us to develop a want to be absolutely sure of being involved more detailed Action Plan, carry out in the consultation and be kept aware of community consultation on specific future developments sign up to our proposals throughout CPR and firm up the communications group by sending your ESCo and other financing options. We are email address to [email protected] or also planning information seminars on telephone the ASPIRE project officer on sustainable energy for developers, planners, architects, building control officers etc. 01209 614973 www.aspire-project.eu Householders: For free impartial advice on domestic energy efficiency, renewable energy, water efficiency, greener driving and cars, grants and fuel debt, please call Cornwall Energy Efficiency Advice Centre on freephone 0800 512012 Businesses: For advice on reducing business energy use please call the Envision Helpline on 01209 614972 Community Groups: For free advice on renewable energy projects please call CSEP on 01209 614974 or CEP on 01209 614973 More information is available on the CSEP website at: http://www.csep.co.uk/page123g.html November 2007

Legal disclaimer: The sole responsibility for the content of this leaflet lies with the authors. It does not represent the opinion of the community. The European Commission is not responsible for This brochure is printed with vegetable based inks on a 100% recycled paper. any use that may be made of the information contained therein.