A COHOUSING community has been awarded a grant of £12,000 from the M&S Energy Community Energy Fund for ‘sunshine batteries’ so residents can provide sustainable heat from their solar panels and heat pumps.

Trelay Cohousing Community, St Gennys, beat four projects in the East Cornwall region to win the top prize.

The community won the funding with 2,746 public votes. This follows a six-week long campaign calling on the local community to show its support after it was shortlisted for the national renewable community energy competition in July.

Trelay Cohousing is a community of 22 adults and nine children and educational facility, founded in 2007.

The prize money will be spent on a set of storage batteries, which will store electricity from the community’s PV system and allow the stored energy to heat the community on dull days with its own clean energy.

Jackie Carpenter, project lead, said: “I was so excited when I opened the email which said we had won. So many Trelay people had put so much effort into campaigning. When we were canvassing in the streets we were surprised and humbled by how willing people were to help us support our project. It was a heart-warming experience.

“The Sunshine Batteries are the final piece in the jigsaw of an integrated, local, clean energy system here at Trelay.”

Also securing £12,000 from the fund was Cornwall Wildlife Trust, which had 2,099 public votes.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust will use the funds to fit solar PV at its headquarters to reduce their carbon footprint. By delivering this project, it also hopes to make a real and ongoing saving to its operating costs, meaning that it can maximise funds for protecting Cornwall’s wildlife and wild places for locals as well as visitors.

Dee Reeves, trustee of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust said: “Our vision for the project is to tread lightly on the planet while protecting Cornwall’s wildlife and wild places. Winning the M&S Energy Community Fund prize is an important kick start and we are all delighted. The interest this competition has generated has encouraged our staff, volunteers, supporters and the local community to get behind the renewables message.

“We are so grateful to all who voted for us. The combined energy and effort everyone has put in has been inspiring. It is thanks to the M&S Energy Fund that we can now start this work.”

2017 marks the third year of the M&S Energy Community Energy Fund, which donates up to £300,000 to support community renewable energy projects and technologies across the UK. This year saw over 180 community projects apply for funding with over 100,000 people voting for their favourite community energy project.

Jonathan Hazeldine, head of M&S Energy, said: “Our community energy fund has grown from strength to strength over the last three years; this year for the first time ever we surpassed 100,000 public votes. For us that means there’s 100,000 people here in the UK committed to protecting our environment and creating sustainable energy solutions — what M&S Energy is all about. We were bowled over by the innovation and creativity displayed by this year’s community projects. The fund is a great way for us to connect with some brilliantly innovative energy projects and reach our commitment to help at least 200 communities to reduce their carbon footprint as part of Plan A 2025.”

As part of Plan A 2025, M&S Energy have committed to helping at least 200 communities to reduce their carbon footprint.

M&S Energy awards a maximum of £12,000 worth of funding for regional renewable energy projects across the UK, determined by the public vote.

A Judges’ Prize will also be awarded to the most innovative or inspiring projects selected from those that do not win through the public vote.