Brighton Energy Co-op: an innovation history

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How often do you wash your hair? Design as disordering: everyday routines, human object theories, probes and sustainability

The  paper  proposes  an  approach  of investigating routinised  practices  in relation to  deliberately  creating disorder in everyday routines and practice theory. Further, it outlines a pilot study that uses the design­led method of 'probes' and considers its potentials  in generating disorder. It identifies creative disorder in the process of designers developing the probes, participants interacting with them to finally designers receiving the results. Thinking about the process in terms of disorder is seen to be valuable in facilitating, applying and developing probes, not only to inspire the designer but also to sensitise the designer to private and intimate areas of everyday life such as hair care

Barley Bridge Weir Hydro Scheme: an innovation history

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South Wheatley Environmental Trust wind turbine project: an innovation history

The South Wheatley wind turbine is a hamlet-based community-owned renewable project located in North Cornwall (set in a labyrinth of narrow lanes near Launceston). The project is run by a Trust, to which members are elected on a yearly basis, and regularly meet up to discuss the project. The Trust has been generating energy from their 15kW wind turbine since 2007, selling it to the grid and investing the surplus in local household energy efficiency projects (run as a grant scheme), renewable energy projects and energy conservation education at local schools. This innovation history traces the development of the South Wheatley Environmental Trust wind turbine project from its conception in 2004, through its development to the turbine’s installation and running phase (including numerous technical setbacks and the set-up of a grant scheme) from 2007-2012. This is a story of a pioneering individual who has been tenacious enough to set up a community-owned wind turbine project, rescuing it a few times to keep it going

Fab Lab Amersfoort, De War: an innovation history

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Examining web-based materials. A snapshot of UK fablabs and hacker-spaces

Sabine Hielscher (SPRU) outlines initial impressions gained from an analysis of selected web-based materials on FabLabs and Hackerspaces in the UK to find out what type of information is being shared on these websites, in particular, in relation to the member’s activities, projects and aims

Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust: an innovation history

The Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust is a company limited by guarantee with a charitable status, consisting of an elected board of directors to represent the Isle of Gigha residents. Since its inception, the Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust has created three subsidiary trading companies, which operate the island’s commercial activities (such as the running of three wind turbines). These provide the Trust with financial sustainability and fund regeneration on the island. The aims of the Trust in setting up Gigha Renewable Energy Limited were, firstly, to advance community ownership and development on the island; secondly, to promote the financial, social and environmental sustainability of the island; and thirdly, to generate profits to be recycled into other community projects on the island, including housing improvements and energy efficiency measures. This innovation history traces the development of the Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust from its inception (i.e. when the community bought their island from its laird in 2002) through to its development of a portfolio of renewable and energy efficiency projects

Intermediation in shifting policy contexts: interviews with community energy actors

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Carbon rationing action groups: an innovation history

Carbon Rationing Action Groups (CRAGs) are community-based groups who agree to reduce their carbon emissions through the creation of carbon targets. The members of each CRAG decide a carbon target per person at the beginning of the ‘carbon year’ and the price per kg of carbon. Over the year each member records his/her personal carbon emissions, using the same metrics. At the end of the year, members share their results and people who exceeded the agreed target pay a financial penalty. The penalty money is paid into a bank account and distributed to members who saved carbon as agreed by the participants. The Carbon Rationing Action Groups innovation history traces the origins of the network, through its height when about 25 groups operated across the UK in 2008, to its eventual demise in 2010

Community energy in the UK: a review of the research literature

The literature review presented here soon makes clear how diverse is both the field of study and its analysis. There is no unequivocal definition of community energy, nor are there a clearly delineated se too theories of community energy. Whilst groups of people have been pursuing community energy initiatives for decades, it is only in recent years that this activity has been resurgent and salient in the eyes of policy and research. As such, dialogue between different research insights and the forming of an overall picture is still in its infancy. However, diversity, dynamics and context sensitivity of community energy suggests any comprehensive theory or picture of the field will remain elusive. Rather, what is available is a rich body of work that is of more or less relevance depending upon ones research and practical interests in community energy over time. In our case, we have related the literature to out concern for sustainable energy innovation in grassroots settings