A Future Energy Landscapes workshop brings together different voices to talk about green energy in Thornbury
Green energy, how it works, what it might look like – and above all how people feel about it – was the topic of discussion at a recent workshop held in Thornbury. The purpose of the Future Energy Landscapes event was to start a conversation about what could be done, rather than make plans for specific projects. It was structured to encourage a wide range of views, informing people about options and providing a chance for people to share how they value the town and landscape around it. The workshop was organised by Climate Action Thornbury and Surroundings (CATS) – from where CATSA-CIC originated – as well as the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) and community energy group Bristol Energy Cooperative (BEC).
The workshop used a methodology developed by CSE that aims to give people a sense of agency over how renewable energy is developed.
One of the main exercises involved marking a map of the area with places that were important to them. Using this, participants then placed different renewable technologies (solar, wind and anaerobic digesters) on the map. CSE then showed how much energy these would generate and calculated how much of the local area’s energy needs they could meet.
Feedback from one of the attendees was: “It was a really constructive process. It drew together people’s local knowledge of the topography, infrastructure and how people used the land in the town and surrounding areas. It was a really powerful way to begin the discussion of how Thornbury might transition to cleaner energy forms.”
BEC commissioned the workshop as part of a series exploring community energy models in the South Gloucestershire area. Community energy is a model of renewable energy development where the asset is built with, for and by local people using a non-profit model, with revenues being channelled back into community projects.
