Introducing Community Energy Moray, and the Moray Community Climate Action Hub

Zero Carbon Moray: Community Climate Action Hub

Community Energy Moray is in the process of setting up a Moray Community Climate Action Hub.

The aim of the Hub will be to make the green recovery work for Moray.

We are in a climate crisis, and we have to move to a net zero carbon world. What does that mean for ourselves, our communities, and our businesses? We have to change the way we heat our houses, and travel, and adapt business practices.

We can do this and at the same time bring benefits to communities across Moray by making positive changes. The potential for new green jobs in Moray is huge, as is the chance to reduce fuel poverty, and improve transport and community resilience. Moray is rich in renewable energy potential – wind, solar, air, and sea. We have a chance to make the Moray green transition faster, and fairer.

The Moray Climate Action Hub plans to:

• Help communities find community renewable energy solutions by coming up with replicable energy plans for different types of Moray communities

• Give information to individuals about organisations and funding that can help them with insulation and renewables

• Be a proactive link between businesses and communities. What are the potential win -win situations? District heating from waste heat? New businesses opportunities in Moray?

• Communicate information about taking up carbon in Moray on land and at sea through tree planting, regenerative agriculture, no mow months, etc.

The Moray Climate Action Hub will be set up by Community Energy Moray. We are already collaborating with Moray Council, HIE, the Chamber of Commerce, Trees for Life, renewables businesses, and tsiMoray. We aim to initiate and enable discussions between all sectors in Moray, with the aim of finding solutions.

There are a range of potential benefits to businesses:

• Community renewable energy schemes can provide low cost off peak energy to local businesses
• Power companies can use local renewables schemes to help to balance the grid (eg with house batteries)
• Community district heating schemes can use waste heat from businesses
• Carbon unit offsetting in Moray
• ESG ratings increased

Job creation opportunities:

• Tens of thousands of homes in Moray need builders for insulation and renovation schemes – retraining and jobs
• Manufacturers of solar panels and heat pumps will have very high demand for their products and can grow in Moray
• Many engineering and project management jobs will be needed for community renewables schemes – perhaps for retrained oil and gas workers

Visit (and like!) the Zero Carbon Moray new Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Zero-...

How can you and your business help?

Can you get involved? We need more people to help set up the Hub, and to also become involved in Community Energy Moray (CEM).

Community Energy Moray has been set up as a community benefit society, registered with the FCA. CEM was set up to invest in a Moray windfarm, and has now also taken on the task of setting up the Hub.

Tasks involved with setting up the Hub:

The volunteer Hub management team is actively looking for funding to hire staff.

We have already applied for ca £140,000 of funding through the UK Communities Recovery Fund, to fund seven short term projects on renewable energy and carbon sequestration themes.

Draft Business Plan available.

If you’re interested, please contact Joan Megson at joanmegson@hotmail.com

Tasks involved with the board of Community Energy Moray

Tasks include contacting other renewable energy suppliers, looking for investment and community benefit opportunities.

A finance background would be particularly useful, as would experience with renewables, and entrepreneurship skills.

We currently have a monthly board meeting.

If you’re interested in becoming involved in some way, please contact Graham Hilditch at grahamhilditch1856@gmail.com