General renewable energy information

Bedfordshire County Council is working to promote the take-up of renewable energy in the County.

In 2002 work was commissioned to produce Renewable Energy Policy & Practice Guidance for Bedfordshire.

The Council supports the work of two related local groups: Bedfordshire Renewable Energy Forum and Bedfordshire Renewable Energy Projects.

Bedfordshire Renewable Energy Forum (BREF) seeks to:

• Bring people together who are interested in renewable energy to exchange views and ideas
• Raise awareness of renewable energy to all sectors of the community
• Develop practical demonstration and viable projects
• Help develop the market for renewable energy technologies

BFEF has over 60 members and regular meetings and events are held.
For more information or to become a member, please contact:

Joanne Broughton
Environmental Development Unit
Bedford Borough Council
Riverside House (B101)
6 Horne Lane
Bedford
K40 1PY

Bedfordshire Renewable Energy Projects (BREP) is a sub group of BREF formed to take forward renewable energy projects. BREF also acts as the renewable energy topic group of the Bedfordshire Sustainable Energy Partnership (BSEP).

The County Council has also commissioned renewable energy schemes on its own land and buildings, for example solar panels at County Hall. In addition, around 60% of electricity used is now purchased on "green tariffs" i.e. generated by either renewable sources or combined heat & power.

Individuals and organisations looking to implement renewable energy schemes may find the following links useful.

The Clear Skies| (new window) initiative aims to give homeowners and communities a chance to become more familiar with renewable energy by providing grants and advice. Technologies supported include wind, solar water heating, hydro, ground sourced heat pumps, automated wood pellet stoves, and wood fuel boilers.

The Solar Grants| (new window) programme provides grants that contribute towards the cost of installing grid-connected or off grid photovoltaic arrays (PV) on public, domestic and commercial buildings. There are two types of grant available - Stream 1 grants for small scale PV installations (between 0.5kWp and 5kWp), and Stream 2 grants for medium to large scale PV installations between 5kWp and 100kWp.

Based in Milton Keynes, the National Energy Foundation| (new window) works actively to promote renewable energy and sustainable development to a wide audience.