New local tariff could save these wind farm neighbours around £100 per year
CUSTOMERS living near Good Energy's wind farm at Delabole this week qualified for a local tariff which rewards them with lower electricity bills.
Households within 2km of the substation at the 9.2MW Delabole wind farm are now able to switch to the new tariff, which offers a 20 per cent discount on Good Energy's standard electricity prices, if they sign up by the end of February.
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CASH BACK: Farmer Martin Edwards with resident Susan Theobald.
It will save an average Good Energy customer in the area around £100 over a year compared to the company's standard regional tariff. The tariff will also pay out a windfall credit of up to £50 per household every year that the turbines exceed their expected performance.
A special event will be held at Delabole Methodist Church from 11am to 3pm on Saturday, February 23, to provide information and support for eligible people interested in signing up. Further information is available at www.gooden ergy.co.uk/delabole-local-tariff
Buy one get one free on main courses and specials excludes fillet steaks. Equal prise meal or cheapest free
Terms:
Mon-sat 12-2pm
Sun-Thur 6-9pm.
Contact: 01209 700617
Valid until: Friday, May 24 2013
One of the first Delabole residents expecting to sign up is Susan Theobald, who is one of 70 people who expressed an interest in the scheme after it was announced in November.
Mrs Theobald said: "I think most people accept that renewable energy is becoming more important to our energy supply, especially with the prices of fossil fuels going up and up. And it's great to have a renewable energy company ensuring that people in the local community benefit directly from hosting a wind farm through lower bills.
"In my case Good Energy has calculated that the Local Tariff should save me around £125 on my electricity bill."
Juliet Davenport, chief exec of Good Energy, urged all those who live at Delabole and are eligible to see how much they could save. "Local people can and should have a part in the income that a wind farm generates."
Delabole was the UK's first commercial wind farm, developed by local farmer Martin Edwards as a response to plans for a nuclear power station in the area. He sold his 150-strong dairy herd and milk quota to invest in the project and it opened in 1991. Good Energy bought the wind farm in 2002 and Mr Edwards sits on the group's board
He said: "It has been a long-held ambition to be able to offer a local electricity tariff in Delabole because it's something that people have wanted, so I'm absolutely delighted that Good Energy is leading the way."
Good Energy invested £11.8 million to redevelop Delabole in 2010, replacing the original ten turbines with four larger ones and more than doubling capacity from 4MW to 9.2MW.
The future of onshore wind has been hotly debated with the Government keen to explore how communities secure financial, social and environmental benefits from hosting onshore wind farms.
Communities become more supportive when they benefit directly from local wind farms.
At Delabole, Good Energy held two consultations before the redevelopment where local residents voted to have a smaller number of big turbines rather than a larger number of small ones.
Comments
by johndavies
Tuesday, January 15 2013, 12:32AM
“Looking at the OFFGM figs in the first 9 mths of 2012 for
Delabole Cornwall - http://tinyurl.com/axwngld a 9.2 MW site.
The windfarm received £720,598 = (£80,066 / mth ) just in ROC subsidy's alone, that's on top of the generation payments £881,160.
Total £1,601,758 = (177,973 / mth or £5,851 / day)
They receive £2,632 / day in subsidies….. lifted from our energy bills.
It's our money, out of our bills, then they give us a little of our own money as 'cashback'!!
it's a classic Ponzi SCAM. (google it)
Community Benefit …..I don't think so,”
by IvorWard
Sunday, January 13 2013, 12:05PM
“So let me get this straight. Because I live more than 2 Km from this wind factory I am not only expected to pay for my own electricity bill, I am now expected to pay to knock a hundred pounds off Ms. Theobolds bill.
Where does Good Energy get it's money? From subsidy Farming. Every Mega Watt of electricity they produce is subsidised by Renewable Obligation Certificates, feed in tariffs over and above a guaranteed payment for their power output even when it is not needed.
Who pays? Every electricity bill payer and every tax payer, regardless of how poor you are. It will be a comfort to know that Mrs Theobold and Mr Edwards can keep warm this winter even if the rest of us can't, I am sure.
We will pay a BILLION POUNDS in subsidies this year alone to the likes of Mr Edwards and "Good" Energy and every year this pathetic Government throws more money at this obsolete technology.
4500 Turbines are only producing 4% of our electricity as I write for our £billion. Electricity is only one 5th of our power usage (Petrol for cars, Gas for heating etc) so this farce is throwing money away for no purpose whatever. Ask the Chinese what they think of our emission savings as they continue to build one coal station a week.
No wonder Mr Edwards has a smile on his face. Our energy policy is the biggest joke this century.”