New community energy project for Hastings

The Ore campus of East Sussex College will host a large solar PV array, which is scheduled for installation at the end of February.

The installation will be funded by the community and will allow the college to access lower priced energy. Community investors will receive a five per cent return.

This project is part of the 1066 Local Energy campaign launched by Energise Sussex Coast.

Kate Meakin, campaign manager, said: “We are so happy with the enthusiastic response we have got from local people. This shows the appetite for making the most of our sunny area and investing in new clean energy projects.

“We’d encourage anybody interested in helping to grow the amount of renewable energy locally to look at our offer and help us meet the £180,000 target.”

Energise Sussex Coast partners, Brighton Energy Co-operative, will install the solar array.

By investing in the project people become members of Brighton Energy Co-op. Members are given the opportunity to ring fence their investment for Hastings projects only. To invest visit: brightonenergy.org.uk/view-share-invitation.

Richard Watson, director and founder of Energise Sussex Coast, said: “Hastings and Rother should be bursting with solar roofs as we get 15 per cent more sunshine than the rest of the UK. We hope the Ore campus will be the first of many. With just two months left of the Feed In Tariff we encourage schools, businesses, and charities to contact us today to pre-register and for larger community roofs and households we can help with finance options, whether from raising community finance or accessing low interest loans.”

In other news:

Temperatures set to plummet again in Hastings and Rother next week after a warmer and wet weekend.

A Journey Home: Capturing Hastings through the eyes of town’s taxi drivers.

Person taken to hospital after getting hit by train near Hastings.