Conference: Community Energy in Edinburgh

The Edinburgh Community Energy Cooperative are organising a conference on the morning of Saturday the 11th of September. The idea behind the conference is to help people from throughout the city find out about community energy projects, network, get involved and share ideas and inspiration.

There will be four sessions, looking at the practical community energy projects that are in development around the city, like the proposed commnity owned wind turbine on the Portobello promenade, and a number of Water of Leith "micro-hydro" projects, including the Redbraes Weir project.

Other sessions will look at the broader energy picture in the city, together with the scope for setting up things like energy consumer co-ops.

Lastly, Alastair Tibbitt, the Greener Leith development manager will be speaking in the closing debate with Calum Wilson, Director of Forth Energy, on the proposed Biomass plant for the Leith Docks.

You can download more information about the confrence by clicking here.

The large scale Biomas plans for the docks continue to attract criticism in the press from both local and national organisations. This week it was the turn of Friends of the Earth Scotland who released a report this week outlining the threat of an African "land grab" by Biomass supply companies. In the accompanying press release, the Director, Duncan McLaren, said:

"Growing world demand for woody biomass for energy production is already stimulating new developments in Africa and elsewhere in the global South where sustainable forest practices cannot be guaranteed: such as West Papua, Guyana, Congo and Liberia.

"The Scottish Government should reject Scottish proposals to import biomass for electricity production."

Greener Leith would encourage everyone interested in hearing more about the proposed Forth Energy plans for the docks to attend. We'd also welcome your suggestions or questions for Calum Wilson. You can add them to the comments below, or contact us here.

Comments

[Electricity Monitor]

Within the energy sector, coal and natural gas comprise 46 percent, with only nuclear, solar, and other renewable, at less than 13 percent, genuinely free of emissions. Biomass is potentially largely free of emissions and is renewable but currently it mostly comprises obsolete energy supplies such as animal dung.Emissions themselves are mainly derived from industrial and consumer uses, with about 30 percent coming from agriculture and forestry.