Dipton Community Association receives £20,000 to support the residents of Dipton, Durham with solar panels and battery storage.
Dipton Community Association received £20,000 from the Northern Powergrid Foundation in support of solar panels and battery storage the the Dipton Jubilee Centre. This enabled the centre to be operational at all times providing the community with heat, light, refuge and to continue providing services at times of need and then passing on the reduced energy operating costs to the community with subsidised or free activities.
The technical specifications of what Dipton Community Association used the Northern Powergrid Foundation funds for was an 8kW solar panel array, 8kW three phase hybrid invertor with 12.3 kWh battery back up and a solar i-boost.
Having worked with Durham County Councils Community Resilience Team and the funds from the Foundation the centre has been able to develop a new and more practical community emergency plan.
Graham Sinclair, Dipton Community Association Trustee said “We are delighted to receive the Northern Powergrid Foundation funding for our solar panels and battery. This will help the Dipton Jubilee Centre save on running costs and help keep hire costs low and allow the running of community events. The back up batteries will allow the centre to be open for the community in the event of an emergency and loss of power in the village”.
By having solar panels with battery storage and an invertor, when a power cut occurs power is switched from the mains supply to the battery enabling service to continue as normal, and for the Dipton community if it wasn't for this project their kids Halloween party of 2023 would have been cancelled and 50 witches and ghouls would have been extremely disappointed.
The centre is saving approximately 30% compare to last year and are generating funds from feed-in tariffs. This extra income will allow the centre to keep their costs under control, will not need to increase booking charges and have the opportunity to offer free community events.
Photo caption L-R: Graham Sinclair, Dipton Community Association Trustee, Karen Dodds, Dipton Community Association Chairperson, MP Richard Holden, Joe Coe, Northern Powergrid Foundation Trustee and Keith Hall, Dipton Jubilee Centre Caretaker, outside of Jubilee Centre, Dipton.
The challenges for Dipton, Durham, residents
Due to the possibility of power interruptions in Dipton the trustees of the Dipton Jubilee Centre identified a need to increase their resilience for their local community.
The solution for Dipton, Durham, residents
The trustees of the Dipton Jubilee Centre identified that solar panels and batteries were the best solution to allow the community centre to remain open for the local community to safely reside during times of power interruptions and emergencies by providing warmth, light, hot meals and, if needed, a place to sleep.
Support from the Northern Powergrid Foundation
The Northern Powergrid Foundation supported the community project with a £20,000 donation to go towards solar panels and energy storage battery.
More about the Northern Powergrid Foundation
The Northern Powergrid Foundation’s mission, complementing Northern Powergrid’s ambition to be a force for good in the communities it serves, is to support communities most affected by changes in the economy, environment, and society because of the shifting energy landscape. This will be achieved by supporting projects focused on helping to tackle energy resilience during emergency events, vulnerability, fuel poverty, levelling the rural divide, innovation, social support, and community collaboration. Funds are available to support the communities across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire served by Northern Powergrid.