Micro-energy ideas for Exmoor businesses and residents

A SEMINAR is being organised for people and businesses on Exmoor to examine opportunities for producing local energy.
The Exmoor Trust is holding its E4Exmoor - Energy for Exmoor - event at the Ralegh's Cross Hotel, on Friday, May 2.
The trust hopes it will help people to save on their escalating fuel bills and contribute to a reduction in carbon emissions.
The event will bring together independent experts on micro-energy systems as well as the producers of such systems.
There will be also panel sessions to cover issues such as planning, cost benefits, and affected utility providers, as well as an opportunity to learn about opportunities for grant aid support.
Trust chairman Edwin Beckett said: “We need to capitalise on the ready availability of land, light, water, and wind in order provide a better economic base for an area which is experiencing rocketing cost rises in all forms of energy.
“The fact that this could be achieved in a sensitive rural environment means that we are hoping to draw upon external funds in order to pilot some schemes.
"E4Exmoor follows our highly successful Broadband for Exmoor event which provided the impetus to getting most of Greater Exmoor onto broadband.”
The E4Exmoor event is being managed by business trustee Archie McIntyre.
Mr McIntyre said: "The trust has acted in order to raise this challenge to the forefront of rural action plans now being considered by the Rural Development Agency.
“We especially want businesses and communities, as well as individuals, to recognise opportunities for shared energy production.
“Our focus is on micro-energy production but we recognise that this is only one aspect of reducing energy dependence which has been well led by Forum 21 and other groups."
The trust is expecting considerable interest in its unique opportunity to learn more about locally produced energy, and hopes such enthusiasm will reinforce the case for pilot and demonstrator schemes to be supported by external grants.
The E4Exmoor symposium will run two identical programmes on the day, one in the morning and another in the afternoon, to cater for the anticipated large attendance.
More information is available from Mr McIntyre by calling 01884243568.