Suffolk County Council scoops green energy award
Suffolk County Council has been recognised at the 10th annual Ashden Awards, the world’s leading green energy awards, for its work in boosting the supply and demand of sustainable wood fuel.
The council is among other low carbon energy champions, including schools, charities and businesses, all of whom have made significant carbon savings through the use of renewable energy or energy efficiency measures.
The Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy champion and reward life-changing ideas, from smokeless stoves in Ethiopia, to green schools in the UK, to solar powered education in Bangladesh.
Six UK and six international projects were chosen as winners and received their awards from Sir David Attenborough. Award winners received £10,000, with one winning the Gold Award of £20,000 to invest in future sustainable energy work.
The council impressed the panel of judges, all of whom are experts in the field, for its commitment to sustainable forestry, building capacity in the local wood-fuel supply chain and installing wood-fired boilers in schools and public buildings.
Twenty wood-fired boilers were installed between 2006 and early 2010 with a total heat output of 3.2 MW, many of them replacing old oil-fired boilers.
Sarah Butler-Sloss, founder director of the Ashden Awards, said: “This forward-looking council is making big strides towards sustainability by helping local schools switch their oil-fired boilers to greener wood-fired boilers and boosting Suffolk’s supply chain for biomass fuel through sustainable forestry.
"It is great to see the enthusiasm of the staff at schools that have benefited from this scheme, and that children are getting involved and learning about woodfuel. This scheme has many benefits – it has increased local employment, reduced fuel costs for schools and the council, and helped the council to meet its carbon targets.”
Other benefits of Suffolk County Council’s work include:
•Boilers installed by early 2010 are saving 400 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.
•Cost savings for schools switching from heating oil to wood-fuel.
•Funding and other support has been given to a local wood-fuel producer co-operative, allowing them to purchase and operate a large chipper.
•Local wood-fuel producers have been given long-term contracts, allowing them to invest in their businesses.
•Woodland has been brought under management to benefit biodiversity, and native trees are being replanted.
•Local employment supported in forestry, wood-fuel supply and boiler installation.
