Northern Ireland’s first community-owned solar energy enterprise will launch a public Community Share offer next week on the 3rd March.
NICE (Northern Ireland Community Energy) hope to raise £150,000 in order to begin installation of PV solar panels on buildings that are owned by third sector organisations such as community groups and charities.
The new enterprise is the brainchild of a group of volunteers with a track record in renewable energy and co-operative models. They developed a community solar project that would allow them to create economies of scale, shared technical expertise, and to grow the knowledge base in Northern Ireland.
They have identified a number of potential buildings and are working with the third sector groups to move forward; they have already completed a pilot on the roof of Mediation NI’s offices on University Street in Belfast. Other organisation that wish to participate are urged to contact NICE via its website
This pre-launch installation demonstrates the directors’ commitment and confidence in the project as a whole and also gave them vital feedback from the business.
Rob Colwell, office and finance manager of Mediation NI, said: “We were amazed at how straightforward and quick this has been. We discussed it with our board and two months later the panels were in place on the roof generating low cost electricity for us. We estimate that we will reduce our energy costs by 50% each year. This is a win-win situation – as an organisation we support green ideals and we are always trying to reduce our carbon footprint and save money. In addition, we liked that NICE is a cooperative – we support the ideal of working in collaboration with other organisations and also helping the community.”