Are you looking for a job where you can make a real difference to the community and the planet?
We have a very exciting opportunity for a highly motivated self-employed person to join our team, but the catch is that you must start as a volunteer and secure funding for your own post. The post is then open for you to develop as you wish in accordance with our Aims and at the approval of the Board of Directors, hours are negotiable.

We have several projects underway for which we’d expect some delivery support, these include communicating climate action to families and schools, developing a ground-breaking innovative passivhaus housing scheme, securing funding for fuel poverty projects, responding to relevant consultations and supporting several multi-million pound renewable energy projects in the early development stage.
We need someone who is…

• Self-employed, fully IT proficient, with own transport and already set up for remote working with computer, internet and phone.
• Committed to tackling climate change and agrees with our aims and objectives to improve housing conditions for people living in fuel poverty and not afraid of the drastic action required to reach net zero.
• A leader and a team player, you’ll be working closely with the board and other project workers. You’ll be expected to manage your own workload and lead on securing funding for your post – we will of course help as much as we can.
• Confident engaging with partner organisations on all levels; schools, businesses, community groups, councils, energy sector professionals etc.
• Experience in the energy sector, experience managing projects and budgets.
• Experience with securing funding.
• Knowledge of climate, energy and planning policy would be desirable.
• Understanding of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.
• Honest, reliable, friendly and accountable.
• Ideally located in the South Hams.

South Dartmoor Community Energy is a non-profit community energy organisation, we’re run by a team of voluntary directors and our aims are to reduce fuel poverty and tackle the Climate Emergency through developing community-led renewable energy generation schemes that provide a direct benefit to the local community. We work in the South Hams in Devon, primarily around the Ivybridge area. We’re an active member of a network of community energy groups in Devon and work closely with local authorities.
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Please note: SDCE is not an employer, this is not a salaried post, you will be expected to volunteer until further funding is secured. SDCE is in a position to take huge steps forward and increase our capacity with the right person on the team. We have been working in this way for 4 years and always sustained between 3 and 7 part time project roles.

If you have any questions, please contact us.
To apply please email your CV and covering letter to sophie@sdce.org.uk before the 17th July 2020.

The closing date is 17th July 2020. Phone or zoom interviews will take place w/c 27th July or 3rd August, successful applicant will be notified by 14th August 2020, to start as soon as possible.

​You can download this as a pdf here.

Our energy advice team is still here to help you with any problems or questions you have with your energy bills:

• Help with high energy bills
• Can't pay energy bills
• What if I can't top up my meter?
• Switching to a cheaper company
• Getting support from your energy company
• Will I get disconnected?

The government has agreed a basic package of measures with all energy suppliers to protect their customers, found here.

You can find official guidance from Ofgem on these topics and more at https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-covid-19-and-your-energy-supply but we are here to help you if you want to speak to someone local.

We can help over the phone and by email, if you have a smart phone we may be able to have a video call - please bear with us this will be new ground for us too!

Please contact us today.

Our shiny new pilot project Net Zero Heroes kicked off today at Sparkwell School. 

Dr Juliette gave an assembly and ran some fun workshops for the children to encourage them and their families to take action on climate change. 

The assemblies will all be focused on “What is Climate Change?” and “What is global warming?” and then we’ll be getting the children motivated to become Net Zero Heroes - working together to contribute to stopping climate change. There will be props, demonstrations, dress up, role play, thought provoking actions, inspiring ideas, laughter, and a positive attitude to their individual actions contributing to the big goals.

Next week will be our first Community Roadshow where the general public can come along to find out more about reducing their carbon emissions and sign up to take the Net Zero Hero Challenge!

For more information on Net Zero Heroes please click here, we're going to be in Townstal, Modbury, Malborough, Buckfastleigh, Ugborough, Ivybridge, Kingsbridge, South Brent, Diptford, Cornwood, Loddiswell, Newton Ferrers, Yealmpton, Brixton, Wembury, and Holbeton.

In November SDCE became aware of a planning application for a gas peaking power station in Ivybridge. We do not believe this is an appropriate technology in a climate emergency and subsequently launched a petition, commented on the planning application and began further conversations regarding the proposal.

We have spoken to WPD and understand that this substation has been identified as one that is open for flexibility services. We have also been assured that while we do need increased grid back up in this area, it is no worse than the rest of the WPD area.
 
Alternatively we would like to see solar PV for clean local renewable energy generation, batteries for flexibility and grid balancing, and an electric vehicle fast charging hub with a small café and pedestrian access to the town centre to cater for the imminent flood of EVs.
 
This is our vision.
 
Over the next few months we will be working hard to try and make this vision a reality, it will not be easy or straightforward, and it may not work, but that is a risk we take with innovative projects and new ideas. We will need to secure funding to determine the feasibility both in energy terms and financially. We will need to engage key stakeholders and the local community. We will need to continue to campaign against the construction of a gas peaking power station.

We hope you can join us on this exciting journey!

If you'd like to sign the petition to object to the construction of a gas peaking power station please click here.

On the 23rd November we gathered in Filham Park in Ivybridge to plant 420 saplings from the Woodland Trust. 

We were led by the local ranger, Andrew Price, and planted the trees in two rows to create a new hedge beside the Manstow Football Club pitch. 

Over 20 people came, including lots of children. The rain even stopped for a while!

We'd like to thank Cate for having the idea in the first place and applying to the Woodland trust for the trees, and ITC for organising the planting day.

This is the official SDCE response to the Dartmoor National Park Local Plan consultation, which in its current draft form puts a ban on large scale renewable development in the Park. It is imperative that this does not happen, Dartmoor has an amazing wind resource and we must able to use this to meet the UK's net-zero target and the UK's Paris Agreement obligations. We also strongly believe that action should be taken for DNP to become a leader in restoring and protective biodiversity. You are welcome to use this to inform your own response.

1. SDCE commentary on the Final Draft Local Plan

1. It would be possible in the customary way to respond to the detail of the plan paragraph by paragraph and policy by policy.  However this would be unnecessarily repetitive and somewhat pointless as SDCE’s criticism of the plan is at a very high level and questions the fundamental principles that underpin the purpose of the plan.
2. SDCE’s approach therefore will be to set out a vision of an alternative set of development priorities that we consider to be fully aligned with addressing the global challenges we can no longer ignore, challenges that are impacting us now and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
3. The preamble entitled ‘Strategy’ effectively sets the scene for the plan with:

‘Protecting the National Park’s special qualities’
and
‘Major development will not take place in the National Park other than in exceptional circumstances.’ 

1. It is not evident that there has been any significant changes introduced between the 2006 – 2026 DNP Local Plan and the Final Draft of the proposed 2018 – 2036 Local Plan.  There is certainly no acknowledgement of either an impending Climate Emergency or Extinction Crisis in the latest draft plan.
2. The DNP Authority (DNPA) itself declared a Climate Emergency on 26 July 2019[1] and signed the Devon Climate Declaration[2] on the same day but this has not lead to any amendments to the draft plan.
3. In summary this draft plan is very much a proposal for ‘business as usual’.  It is designed to preserve the status quo.
4. However it is a plan that will provide the framework for development in the DNP for the next 18 years.  It is widely acknowledged that a continuation of business as usual for even a few years would make The Paris Agreement of limiting global heating this century to 2°C, let alone 1.5°C, almost impossible to achieve.
5. With this in mind, and after careful examination of the plan, it would be hard for anyone to conclude that a business as usual approach is fit for purpose in the current climate.

Read more here......

 The SDCE board has decided that the time has come to provide some office space for the self-employed project workers. We also have to keep a big stock of energy efficiency measures and need somewhere to store them.

The Clay Factory near Ivybridge is the perfect place, it has great public transport links, is within easy cycling distance of Ivybridge and has a good car park for those travelling from the South Hams where buses only visit once a week. Not to mention the spectacular views across the South Hams down to the Erme estuary. 

There are also two excellent local plant-based food companies on site!

Why not check out the Clay Factory for your office, meeting, party or just pop up for a delicious climate-friendly lunch. 

SDCE is supporting the Global Climate Strike on the 20th September, some of our directors and members will be joining the Plymouth Strike and some joining Exeter.

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How we generate electricity has been changing for several decades now.
UK electricity used to be generated at a few big power stations, which fed straight into the Transmission Network (National Grid), before it joined the Distribution Network (Western Power Distribution), and finally arrived in our homes, schools and workplaces.

Now there are many 'embedded generators' which are connected into the Distribution Network, and we also have even smaller micro-generation on our homes.

All this means that we need a much cleverer system to ensure we all have the right amount of electricity at the right time. We also don't want too much electricity on the grid.

In order to cope with peak demand, which doesn't happen very often, we need spare generation capacity, previously this has been gas power stations, sat ready and waiting to switch on and whizz huge amounts of power onto the Grid.
Or, the very exciting Electric Mountain in Llanberis, where water is pumped high up into a mountain when there is not much demand for electricity (middle of the night) then released down a vertical shaft at a moments notice - for example when everyone puts the kettle on after Eastenders!

The great news now, is that now UK grid electricity is already 30% renewable. To achieve net-zero carbon we will be increasing this percentage even further. One of the biggest challenges of renewable energy is managing the intermittency. 

In the South West, Western Power Distribution are at the forefront of innovation in Flexibility Markets, looking at how we can use smart tech to control when electric vehicles charge, appliances are used, immersion heaters heat up for example, paying industry to operate at specific times of the day, and working with communities to develop local energy markets are just a few examples. All this can take electricity off the grid when there is too much supply. And large energy storage is being used to pump electricity back into the grid when there is not enough supply.  Vehicle to Grid technology will also have a big impact when we are able to use our car batteries as storage for our homes.

If you've been wondering why all householders are being offered smart meters - this is why!

Three of our directors attended the WPD Flexibility Forum in Exeter on the 3rd July, to hear about how SDCE could get involved in helping to provide local flexibility and grid balancing services. It was an especially enjoyable day as it was chaired by Jodie, another SDCE director, in her day job with Regen.

We're working up some project ideas, so watch this space!