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Community Power
COMMUNITY POWER
Power to the People
Community Power is working to enable Ireland to run on renewably sourced energy and allow communities to take ownership and control of their supply
Community Power is Ireland’s fi rst community owned electricity supplier. “We are a partnership of community energy groups working for a sustainable energy future for Ireland,” explains Sarah Fogarty, Operations Manager, Community Power Ireland. “We grew out of Ireland’s fi rst community owned wind farm, Templederry Wind Farm in Co Tipperary, and now are working with Irish communities to develop more renewable energy projects owned by people.”
It took almost 12 years to build Community Power’s fi rst, and only wind
farm, and it has been operating from the foothills of Slieve Feilim since November 2012. Its two turbines are generating about 15 GWh of electricity every year, which is about the amount of electricity used by the town of Nenagh. Now Community Power is buying renewably generated electricity from a handful of small and micro hydro and wind generators across Ireland and selling it to customers to use in their homes, businesses, farms and community buildings.
“Our mission is to support Ireland to run on clean, renewable power, but as if that’s not enough, we also think people should also have a real stake in it and own it for themselves,” says Fogarty. Community Power helps communities to generate their own large renewable energy projects and 100 per cent of the profi ts of each project goes back into that community.
Community Power’s Circular Economy highlights renewable energy as a sustainable business model that is resilient and people focused. It is energy regenerative by design and aims to promote environmental enhancement and energy community ownership.
“Community Power believes in a holistic vision of the energy system,” states Fogarty. “We support a local, integrated and responsible energy system where we can collectively manage our energy production and consumption in a way that is accessible and understandable for local people.”
Sarah Fogarty, Community Power SUPPORT SCHEME Community Power is assisting urban and rural communities throughout Ireland to become involved in the Renewable Energy Support Scheme programme (RESS). RESS is a State-funded programme which now enables communities to become involved in energy generation projects. Signifi cant revenue streams, up to six fi gure sums, can accrue to communities annually via such projects. “The fi rst RESS program commenced in 2020 and we are delighted that Community Power has been successful in assisting Claremorris Energy Co-op in Mayo and Dunmore Energy Community in Galway to get through the auction.” In 2022, Community Power helped two more community projects to get through the RESS program; Streamstown, Co Mayo and Tipperary Solar Farm. These communities will own their own renewable energy generation projects just like Templederry Windfarm, in Co Tipperary succeeded in doing many years ago. “Community Power serves the common good, and as such we believe communities should seek to enable and empower each other in a socially responsible and sustainable way. Assisting communities to successfully navigate the RESS programme and process enables us to deliver on our mandate. We envision 100 per cent of ownership, control and revenues residing with the communities.”
