The solutions commonly proposed are correspondingly vast in scale.\u00a0 Limiting global warming to below 1.5\u02daC will mean cutting 30 gigatons of greenhouse gases annually by 2030.[4]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 The United Nation\u2019s roadmap to a carbon-free future includes 8.2 gigaton emission reductions from the energy sector; 6.7 gigatons from agriculture; 5.4 gigatons from industry, and 4.7 gigatons from transport.\u00a0 International strategies for decarbonizing industry require wholesale changes to global infrastructure:\u00a0 Picture huge solar and wind farms supplanting fossil fuel power stations, along with a proliferation of battery factories, eco-fuel facilities and large-scale carbon capture projects.<\/p>\n All of which can sound very remote, even alienating, to the private individual going about their everyday lives.\u00a0 \u201cI cannot prevent the building of more coal-fired power stations.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cI do not have the skills to engineer drought-resistant seed strains.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cEven if I personally do not fly, I cannot stop planes from polluting the skies.\u201d<\/p>\n It is true that achieving net zero is a challenge well beyond the capacity of any one person.\u00a0 However, expand that impetus to the level of the community<\/em> \u2013 the micro-societies in which we live, work and produce \u2013 and valuable contributions to the climate fightback can emerge from the humblest of origins.<\/p>\n Sustainable communities are set to emerge as a key battlefront in the fight against global warming.\u00a0 Some of the ideas, technologies and policies emerging at grassroots level could prove instrumental in adopting more viable ways of living which, collectively, might help make the challenges of net zero seem less overwhelming, and more achievable.<\/p>\n Renewable energy has accounted for more than a quarter of the world\u2019s energy generation since 2019, and currently outpaces the growth trajectories of all other energy sources.\u00a0 That is beneficial not just for the environment but for jobseekers too; decentralized energy solutions are relatively labor-intensive so can help encourage employment.\u00a0 Renewable energy jobs reached 11 million in 2018 and could quadruple by 2050.[5]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n But what might a community energy project look like?<\/p>\n The Danish island of Sams\u00f8 is sometimes billed as the world\u2019s first 100% renewable energy-powered island.\u00a0 The average carbon footprint among islanders has fallen from +11 tons of CO2<\/sub> per head annually to -12 tons (yes that\u2019s a minus sign).[6]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 Over the last two decades, the 4,000-strong community has embarked on a series of projects (21 onshore and offshore wind turbines, plus four biomass-fueled district-heating plants) guiding it towards net-zero status.<\/p>\n Ownership of these assets is shared between a combination of private individuals, investor groups, the municipal government and local cooperatives.\u00a0 To become entirely carbon-free by 2030, the island\u2019s transport and heating sectors will come to depend solely on renewable electricity, while its sea transportation industry will use only electricity or local biogas produced by fermenting organic matter.<\/p>\n Sams\u00f8 is by its very nature an enclosed habitation.\u00a0 But can the same principles of a successful sustainable community be introduced in a more urban environment?<\/p>\n One strategy enables individuals and businesses to invest in solar schemes for social housing.\u00a0 Profits from selling electricity into the grid are then invested back into the community itself.<\/p>\n In just 10 years, Repowering London has installed more than 700 kWp of solar power, avoided some 779 tons of CO2<\/sub> emissions, raised \u00a3768,000 in finance and generated more than \u00a3200,000 to spend on community improvements.[7]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 To keep skills within the community, Repowering London educates young adults in the financial, legal, marketing and technical aspects of running a community power project.<\/p>\n Elsewhere in the UK, we have seen the steady emergence of co-operative small-scale energy systems, such as the Ouse Valley Energy Services Company (OVESCO) and the Brighton Energy Cooperative.<\/p>\n OVESCO\u2019s projects in East Sussex include 6 MW of solar projects backed by hundreds of local shareholders.[8]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 Milestones so far include 15 rooftop arrays and one solar farm; a \u00a31 million fund for home micro-generation; more than 1,000 energy advice phone calls; and cheaper fuel bills for schools, businesses and homeowners.\u00a0 OVESCO has filed a planning application for a new 17 MW solar farm within the Ouse Valley, enough to power more than 4,000 homes.<\/p>\n The Brighton Energy Cooperative (BEC), a neighboring project in East Sussex, has already raised \u00a33.5 million in community investment for 91 large-scale solar projects around Brighton & Hove.[9]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 As a Community Benefit Society, the BEC is controlled by its local stakeholders.\u00a0 Parties can invest any sum from \u00a33,000 to \u00a3100,000 but receive one vote on decision-making matters regardless of investment size.<\/p>\n Businesses in the area benefit from energy bills 30%-40% cheaper than the national average by leasing space for roof panels.\u00a0 The BEC\u2019s next project is a new 750 kWp solar farm, comprising around 2,000 solar panels at a nearby port.\u00a0<\/p>\n These success stories might represent just the tip of the iceberg.\u00a0 One study suggests that citizen-led financing projects across Europe could fill the \u20ac179 billion funding shortfall required to meet the continent\u2019s 2030 climate targets \u2013 enough to lift Europe\u2019s renewable energy share to 32% by that date.[10]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n As community energy models evolve to become more sophisticated, they are increasingly incorporating battery storage facilities into the mix, too.\u00a0 This means energy generated during productive periods can be deployed at times when the sun fails to shine or the wind refuses to blow, for dependable round-the-clock power delivery.\u00a0 It\u2019s a technology that Abdul Latif Jameel Energy<\/a> is already helping to drive forward through FRV-X<\/a>, the innovation arm of Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV<\/a>), its flagship renewable energy business.\u00a0 FRV-X is developing several pioneering battery storage facilities to ensure round-the-clock power supplies to homes and businesses.\u00a0 The team\u2019s landmark UK projects at Holes Bay<\/a>, Dorset and Contego<\/a>,<\/a> West Sussex, are already operational, while the UK\u2019s largest battery storage project, at Clay Tye<\/a>, Essex (99 MW peak power, 198 MWH capacity) is set to go live later in 2023.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/media.alj.com\/app\/uploads\/2023\/06\/1868-ALJ-Sustainable-Communities.jpg\")
<\/p>\nEnergizing the sustainable community concept<\/h2>\n
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How can we live healthier, safer, happier lives, and ensure the same opportunities are available to our descendants in several generations\u2019 time?\u00a0 One way to promote the virtues of the sustainable community is to focus on local renewable energy initiatives.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/media.alj.com\/app\/uploads\/2023\/06\/1868-ALJ-Sustainable-Communities2.jpg\")
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It seems so, if the experience of nonprofit energy cooperative Repowering London is any indication.\u00a0 Repowering Londo<\/a>n has three aims: Fighting fuel poverty, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and creating new work opportunities.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/media.alj.com\/app\/uploads\/2023\/06\/1868-ALJ-Sustainable-Communities3.jpg\")
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