From 2001, the Countryside Agency actively engaged with the energy sector by developing and running the Community Renewables Initiative (CRI). This initiative is now co-ordinated by the Severn Wye Energy Agency on behalf of the central government fu...
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The Community Renewables Initiative

Photovoltaic roof
The Community Renewables Initiative (CRI) closed on 1 April 2007, completing its five year pilot programme. The CRI was successful in stimulating community action on renewable energy and delivering over 150 exemplar community projects across England.

Natural England hopes that the success of the pilot programme will enable local and regionally funded community renewables programmes to continue and devlope across the UK,building on the capacity established under the programme.

From 2001, the Countryside Agency actively engaged with the energy sector by developing and running the Community Renewables Initiative (CRI). This initiative is now co-ordinated by the Severn Wye Energy Agency on behalf of the central government funders (DTI, Defra, Natural England and the Forestry Commission).

The CRI was launched in 2001 as a pilot scheme and was coordinated by the Countryside Agency until July 2006.

It was established as an England-wide advice and support service for community groups, helping them to install their own renewable energy schemes. It has been delivered through 10 Local Support Teams. So far, it has delivered over 120 projects across the country, often with more than one technology per site, providing electricity and heat. These projects improve community energy security, local skills, livelihoods, and education.

After successful monitoring and evaluation of the process and outcomes, the CRI has secured further funding through to April 2007, and is now co-ordinated by the Severn Wye Energy Agency (SWEA), one of the existing Local Support Teams. SWEA will work with Natural England and the other CRI partners to develop a succession strategy for the initiative into the future.

The CRI covers a range of geographic locations from remote rural areas to market towns, farmed landscapes to villages, and even cities and their edges.

The initiative promotes and assists developments which:

  • are environmentally sensitive;
  • have support of all stakeholders;
  • are appropriate to the circumstances of the locality;
  • link to other diversification and regeneration schemes.     

It could mean environmentally sensitive developments of:

  • solar roofs; biomass and wood heat schemes; farm waste schemes; small, medium, and in some instances, large wind turbines.   

In places like:

  • schools; hospitals; offices; shops; farms; community halls and housing developments.      

Bringing benefits like:

  • skills; livelihoods; income; education opportunities and energy security.