RCCP news: PV Panels for Tackling Fuel Poverty

The Reading Climate Change Partnership (of which the RCEL co-ordinator is a voluntary and community sector member) developed a proposal (presented by the GREN rep on the RCCP) to install pv panels on poor housing (thereby providing free electricity during the day) and to use the revenue from the consequent Feed in Tariff for insulation and other measures to tackle fuel poverty. As it happened the Local Strategic Partnership (of which the RCCP is a part) were looking to spend a performance reward grant they had received on a project that would further some of the principal aims of the council's Sustainable Community Strategy.  This project relates to 'Breaking the Cycle of Poverty' and 'Renewable Energy' (two of the top four priorities) so it was proposed that that money should be spent on the first year of the Feed in Tariff project (which now is to include some community centres and small business premises). Yesterday was the meeting of the LSP board and they agreed to release money to develop the necessary business plan.