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The Co-operative Group is one of the largest purchasers of green electricity in the world |
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Background
The Co-operative Food is the largest independent store operator in the UK. In March 2009, The Co-operative Food began its two-year integration with Somerfield, to make it the UK’s fifth largest food retailer. The business has around 96,000 employees and 3,200 outlets.
The business is part of the wider The Co-operative Group and, during 2008, virtually all of the electricity supplied to the Group (some 808GWh) was sourced from good-quality renewable sources – mainly wind and hydro technologies. This makes the Group one of the largest purchasers of green electricity in the world, and supports annual CO2 savings of 434,015 tonnes.
How the issue was tackled
The Co-operative Group has made significant progress in the development of its own renewables capacity. In April 2008, planning consent was given for a 28MW, 14-turbine wind farm on Group land in Goole, Yorkshire. This will be capable of supplying enough electricity to power more than 16,000 homes annually, with completion anticipated by 2012.
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The Co-operative Food store in New Mills, Derbyshire purchases electricity from a co-operatively owned small-hydro on the River Goyt. | |
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Goole wind farm follows on from the ‘switch on’ in July 2006 of a 16MW, eight-turbine wind farm on Group farming land at Coldham, Cambridgeshire. All output from this wind farm is paired with the Group’s head office in Manchester, and other Group locations. In May 2008, the Group gained planning consent for a seven-turbine extension to Coldham wind farm. In February 2009, the Group applied for planning permission for a 32MW wind farm, on third-party owned land in Bedfordshire likely to be determined during 2010; further projects are also in development.
In early 2008, the Group agreed to purchase electricity via a private wire to its local Food store from a co-operatively owned small-hydro project in New Mills, Derbyshire. The Co-operative Bank was the principal lender to this project and a grant of £45,000 was provided from The Co-operative Fund. The project became fully operational in September 2008 and had produced 81,000kWh of electricity by the year-end. Planning permission was granted for a second small hydro scheme at Settle, Yorkshire, in February 2009.
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Coldham Wind Farm, Cambridgeshire |
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Benefits and impacts
- In 2009, the Group received the Renewable Energy Association’s Pioneer Award, given to the organisation from outside the sustainable energy sector, judged to make the greatest contribution to the advancement of renewable energy. This follows on from the Group receiving this award in 2007, and makes the Group the only business to have won the award twice.
- Output from the Group’s own renewable energy installations in 2008 was approximately 35,400MWh.
- By 2012, the Group aims to source 15% of its energy requirements from its own sustainable energy sources.
Advice to others
- Clear down any potential technical showstoppers at an early stage e.g. civil and military aviation routes near potential wind power sites.
- Early dialogue with local councils to gauge member attitudes to renewable energy projects can save a lot of effort in the long run.
- Be realistic about site selection, especially for wind power. Any projects that will have a visual impact on the surrounding landscape will be problematic at the planning stage.
- As with any new development project, it is essential to consult fully with the local community and any special interest groups that might be affected.
Related links
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