Ovesco is currently in discussion with a number of site owners on PV installation, particularly Priory School and Wallands School, both of which have capacity for 50kW on their roofs. The government is reducing the FiT allocation again in April 2012, so 50kW systems will have to be in place by then to benefit from the current tariff. Lewes Football club has decided to instal a self-funded PV system that does not involve Ovesco’s community funding. Ovesco directors have expressed satisfaction that, having alerted Lewes FC to their renewable generation potential, the football club has now decided to go ahead on their own.

One of Ovesco’s aims has always been to establish a model for locally funded renewable energy systems that can be exported and copied by groups in other parts of the UK. What we didn’t expect was to reach as far as Japan, at least not quite so soon! However, on Wednesday August 31st two Japanese researchers came to Europe to study the ways that renewable energy is promoted here. Following the nuclear disaster at Fukushima reactor the Japanese government has decided to end the countrys dependence on nuclear power and has announced plans to obtain 20% of electricity from renewable resources by 2020.

Professor Sachiko Wada of Nagoya Gakuin University and Professor Takeshi Wada from Ritsumeikan University have a particular interest in community based renewable energy schemes and came to Lewes to visit the Harveys Brewery installation. They spoke with Nick Rouse, technical director of Ovesco, and Will Cottrell of Brighton Energy Cooperative, who have similar plans, and examined the system.

Picture taken on Harveys depot roof.

Nick Rouse, Takeshi Wada, Sachiko Wada and Will Cottrell.