Bristol Energy Co-operative

FAQs for Community and commercial roof owners Bristol Energy Co-operative is a Bristol-wide social enterprise, which will provide community-owned low carbon energy services for the city of Bristol. In this first phase we will be offering free PV electricity to the owners of community and commercial buildings. Why should I rent my roof to you rather than buying my own solar PV system? If you choose to rent your roof to us, you will get a free PV installation without having to raise the capital for this yourself, and without the hassle of obtaining quotes and organising the roof survey and installation. You will have the benefit of the free electricity generated by the system and have the opportunity to be a participant in the initial development of Bristol Energy Co-operative. However, if you are ready to install your own solar PV system on your roof, and have the capital to invest in it, you will make a higher financial return by doing this and making use of the feed in tariff yourselves. If you choose participate in the Bristol Energy Co-operative your financial return would be lower but by doing so you would be supporting a social enterprise contributing to sustainable energy in Bristol. Any surplus generated by the co-operative will be reinvested in future energy projects. There is also the option for your organisation to invest in the cooperative and become a member, thus receiving a share of the FIT income. Our building is thinking of installing a ground source heat pump or biomass boiler or other renewable heat system will these systems be supported by the Bristol Energy Cooperative? Yes. Any installation made after the 15th of June 2009 will be eligible for the Renewable Heat Incentive, so we would be happy to support such installations subject to having the capital available at that time. Can I be a member of the co-op by renting out my roof? The membership criteria for Bristol Energy Co-operative may be subject to a minimum shareholding investment (to be confirmed) and a maximum shareholding investment of 20,000. If you would like to be a member, you will need to invest in the co-operative. Membership is actively encouraged from individuals and organisations that rent a roof to the co-operative, and also from those who support the organisations aims and objectives. We are a community or commercial organisation is it possible to become a member as an organisation, or is membership only open to individuals? Yes, it is possible to become a member as an organisation. Membership is open to any individual or organisation that supports the objects of the society. The membership criteria for Bristol Energy Cooperative may be subject to a minimum shareholding investment (to be confirmed) and a maximum shareholding investment of 20,000. As with all co-operatives it will be run on a democratic, one member one vote irrespective of shareholding basis. The Maximum shareholding is currently 20,000 can I invest more than this? If you would like to invest more than the maximum 20,000 shareholding limit in Bristol Energy Cooperative it will be possible agree terms and conditions for the additional investment to be put in as a loan.

What happens if I sell the property? The lease you will sign with the Bristol Energy Co-operative is a 25 year lease for use of your roof, but you do have an opt-out which gives the roof owner a right to buy the system at a defined price. If you want to sell your property, you have the choice to sell it with the lease still in place, meaning that the new owner would enjoy the benefits of the same deal. Alternatively, the opt-out means that the solar panels can effectively be sold as a part of the property. Our legal structure requires us to sell any assets for a full market consideration; and any profits that the Co-operative makes will be reinvested to meet our social and community objectives. Will the property be more difficult to sell because of the contract with Bristol Energy Cooperative? We cannot predict what the future market for your property will be like, but the PV installation on the roof should increase the value of the property due to the lower electricity bill. Roof lease contracts of the sort we are proposing are becoming increasingly common. The lease is for 25 years what happens after that? After 25 years the panels become the property of the roof owner. At this point we expect the system to still be fully functional and producing power. There will be some reduction in efficiency of the solar panels as they get older but they are expected to still be producing at 85% of their original output. What happens if the Co-operative is wound up or bought out? Should the members of the co-operative decide to sell the activities of the society or to wind up the society, the assets must be sold for full market consideration and the residual assets must be transferred to another similar society with similar aims and an asset lock. This asset lock ensures that the assets of the Co-operative will be held in perpetuity for the benefit of the community. Who maintains the panels? The system will need very little maintenance. There will be a yearly inspection at which point some basic maintenance may be carried by our maintenance contractor. What happens if the panels breakdown? The cooperative will have off site monitoring facilities, and if there are any issues with the panels or the inverters, this will let us know immediately, and the cooperative will deal with the problem. It will not be your resoponsibility to sort out any problems with the panels, but we would appreciate it if you could let us know if you notice anything wrong. Will I have to make alterations to my electrics or wiring if I rent my roof to you? Our installation process will include the addition of a Smart Meter to your property to enable you to measure your energy use and how much energy the panels generate. This will be carried out by our installation contractor as part of the setup process. For some larger installations we may have to arrange for a better connection between your property and the National Grid to handle the energy input. This is a complex technical process which will be carried out in partnership with your energy supplier and will generally not affect your propertys interior.

What is the Feed-in-Tariff? The FIT is a government subsidy for renewable energy that was introduced in the UK in April 2010, and covers Photovoltaic (PV) schemes up to 5MW. It is made up of three elements: 1) Generation tariff this is a payment made for each unit of electricity generated. The amount depends on the size and date of the installation, but the rate is guaranteed for 25 years. 2) Export tariff this is a further 3p that is paid for each unit exported to the grid. 3) Energy savings As you can use the electricity generated by the PV in the property, you have to buy less from the grid. The FIT is paid for by energy companies, who then cover their costs by raising energy prices. The FIT is easily available to those who have both property and capital available, excluding many people, who still pay higher energy bills to fund the scheme. Recently, large companies have started renting roof space from individuals and community organisations, offering free electricity in return but taking the FIT as profit. However, this takes the profits from the FIT away from the local area and community. The Bristol Energy Co-operative aims to keep the FIT profits and the energy infrastructure in local community ownership. If you have any questions regarding the project which are not answered here, please dont hesitate to get in touch with us: info@bristolenergy.coop Bristol Energy Co-operative