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My Project

What's your sustainable community project?

5 Dec 2011 8:33

My community project is called 'EvFriendly'. This project came about because we have an electric vehicle ourselves - a Nissan Leaf and we have the only EV charging station between Exeter, Bristol and Cornwall. The project is underway with a pilot in and around the Dartmoor National Park. I chose Dartmoor as a pilot because 65% of visitors to the park come by car. This greenhouse gas has a particularly negative impact on our climate and local environment. If we can reduce the use of combustion engine vehicles then we can lower our carbon footprint. My aim is to work with tourism businesses, hill farmers and the community to develop a comprehensive network of charging stations for zero-emission vehicles (bikes, cars, quads and trampers) on Dartmoor. 

The creation of a charging infrastructure will assist the authority to reduce carbon dioxide emissions within the National Park, meet the needs of electric vehicle owners / visitors by enhancing the opportunity for them to enjoy Dartmoor's special qualities and encourage better links between urban and rural communities.  The project will have an accompanying website www.evfriendly.co.uk which will contribute to a range of integrated, co-ordinated and branded travel options that map the charging infrastructure and link to local tourism (e.g. accommodation, attractions and restaurants), as well as providing information via blogs, articles and images on the development and rationale for the network. I am hopeful that the project will be supported with 20K for funding from Dartmoor National Park because it is consistent with the aims of the Government's Plugged in Places Infrastructure Strategy, the Two Moors Sustainable Transport Plan and Devon's Transport Plan 3. It also ticks a number of boxes for local authorities wishing to reduce their carbon emissions. At a recent presentation to the Dartmoor Partnership I received eight expressions of interest to install EV charging stations at tourism destinations.

Wall

Park shows the way on wind turbines

7 Aug 2012 17:42

On our visit to the Olympic Park, the wind turbines really stood out for me. They are a much more accepted part of the landscape in urban areas - and this is quite a contrast to attitudes at home. Here in Devon and particularly on Dartmoor wind turbines come in for a lot of opposition but I feel very strongly that they are an essential part of the renewables collection of tools to generate electricity using our basic assets - wind, sun and water.

People say that turbines are a blot on the landscape and provide a fixed point on the Moor, when walking on the Moor is about walking in the wilderness. As someone from an urban background who now lives in the country, I would be prepared to sacrifice the wilderness to generate more electricity from wind inland and offshore.

Thumbs up to community energy support

7 Aug 2012 11:34

Thinking about our visit to the EDF Energy pavilion yesterday and trying out all the hands-on demonstrations, it's great to see that the company assisting the more vulnerable in our society by installing renewable technology. In Okehampton I am part of a group intent on establishing a community energy project that will enable the poorest and most vulnerable in our community to benefit from renewable electricity.

Okehampton college is already leading the way in our community with its programme of retrofit, solar PV and wind turbines. We are supporting them by taking a lead with businesses, showing how the combination of generating electricity at home with Solar PV, using electric vehicles and conserving energy at home and work, can deliver benefits all round. It helps reduce our carbon footprint and our overheads, cuts the use of fossil fuels and helps save the planet at the same time.

Olympic Park inspiration

6 Aug 2012 20:51

The visit to the Olympics today was brilliant, not least of which because it gave us an opportunity to catch up with each other and share details of our projects. Sharing the highs and lows is important and so the contact with each other is vital for some mutual support.

 

There are so many fantastic projects amongst us. It was colleagues running community gardens that inspired me to help set one up here in Okehampton, as treasurer. The retrofit work that others are doing has made me look again at our own house and at other ways to lead the way in the community. We are looking at putting in sophisticated electronic monitoring systems that monitor the use of electricity right down to the appliances in all 52 rooms in our house (some task)! The system has been showcased by Keith Webber from Okehampton College, part of the EDF Energy 'Pod' initiative that promotes sustainability in education.

Our air source heat pump

10 Jul 2012 9:27

Our air source heat pump from EDF Energy is now installed and providing us with lots of energy-efficient hot water. It works by absorbing heat from the outside air in the same way that a fridge extracts heat from its inside. It can get heat from the air even when the temperature is as low as -15° C. It is early days yet but we are hopeful that the pump will help us to lower our fuel bills and provide us with an income through the government's Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).

Heat pumps have some impact on the environment as they need electricity to run, but the heat they extract from the air is constantly being renewed naturally. It has certainly helped us lower our home's carbon emissions because we are no longer using oil or need fuel deliveries.

Our pump is very energy efficient with a coefficient of performance (COP) rating of up to 4. This means that the heat pump produces 4 units of heat energy for every 1 unit of electricity it consumes. Within temperature ranges of -3°C to 10°C, the COP for our machine is fairly stable at 3-3.5. However in mild weather, the COP of our air source heat pump can be up to 4.

EVFriendly progress

3 Jun 2012 11:13

There has been great progress on the electric vehicle charging station front. I successfully achieved funding for at least one quick charger at Level 3 (charging in as little as 20 minutes) and 40 Level 2/3 chargers  (charging in between 5-8 hours) across Dartmoor and Exmoor for tourism locations such as B&Bs, restaurants and attractions.

 

 

EvFriendly makes the connection between travel and tourism facilitating Electric Vehicle travel into and around Devon. Most exciting is that we will probably be installing the very first Green Motion Nissan DC Quick charger in the UK here in Okehampton on Dartmoor. I have surveyed locations in Ivybridge, Totnes and Okehampton for likely sites if further funding bids are successful. Western Power are hot on the case as the quick chargers require an 80KW draw down from the grid which is a hefty pull on the electricity supply. Devon County Council officers / members are watching my project with interest as they still have made no investment in EV infrastructure within the County. I am hopeful that if successful installations are made it has the potential to lead to some pilot funding to help enable the project to be rolled out across Devon. I have been into schools with my car and to many 'green car shows' spreading theEvFriendlymessage that low carbon travel is the way to go!

What's your sustainable community project?

5 Dec 2011 8:33

My community project is called 'EvFriendly'. This project came about because we have an electric vehicle ourselves - a Nissan Leaf and we have the only EV charging station between Exeter, Bristol and Cornwall. The project is underway with a pilot in and around the Dartmoor National Park. I chose Dartmoor as a pilot because 65% of visitors to the park come by car. This greenhouse gas has a particularly negative impact on our climate and local environment. If we can reduce the use of combustion engine vehicles then we can lower our carbon footprint. My aim is to work with tourism businesses, hill farmers and the community to develop a comprehensive network of charging stations for zero-emission vehicles (bikes, cars, quads and trampers) on Dartmoor. 

The creation of a charging infrastructure will assist the authority to reduce carbon dioxide emissions within the National Park, meet the needs of electric vehicle owners / visitors by enhancing the opportunity for them to enjoy Dartmoor's special qualities and encourage better links between urban and rural communities.  The project will have an accompanying website www.evfriendly.co.uk which will contribute to a range of integrated, co-ordinated and branded travel options that map the charging infrastructure and link to local tourism (e.g. accommodation, attractions and restaurants), as well as providing information via blogs, articles and images on the development and rationale for the network. I am hopeful that the project will be supported with 20K for funding from Dartmoor National Park because it is consistent with the aims of the Government's Plugged in Places Infrastructure Strategy, the Two Moors Sustainable Transport Plan and Devon's Transport Plan 3. It also ticks a number of boxes for local authorities wishing to reduce their carbon emissions. At a recent presentation to the Dartmoor Partnership I received eight expressions of interest to install EV charging stations at tourism destinations.

What's your Green Inspiration?

15 Nov 2011 13:31

In truth, I am something of an Eco warrior, passionate about reducing my carbon footprint, in love with the natural world and desperate to protect it from greenhouse gases and climate change. I live on the edge of the Dartmoor National Park which is an area of outstanding natural beauty. Living here is my inspiration for conserving our natural environment, reusing, recycling, composting and seeking to reduce my use of fossil fuels through the use of renewable sources of energy in my home and through my transport choices.

 

Every day I wake up and look across the Okement Valley to Dartmoor which is a really special environment, remote, inhospitable but full of wildlife and cultural heritage. Alive with water flow in the rivers and leats that run down from the Moor through Okehampton; it is a walkers' paradise, desolate with its granite tors - a wilderness to be enjoyed and experienced by all. Just the quality of the air encourages birdlife and butterflies, moss and lichen in abundance in our garden and the warm and wet climate provide an abundance of home grown food and lush green surroundings for our chickens to enjoy. Is there a better place in the world to live?

Kay

About me

Kay's electric car (EV) will soon be powered by 100% renewable electricity thanks to solar panels at her home, and she's offering her EV charging point as part of the national EV charging grid. She heats her home using open fires and solid fuel sourced from her land. Her family keep chickens and pigs and grow their own veg. Kay's efforts focus on green tourism in the South West and she's already working with several local councils to promote county-wide EV charging points.

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