There are many myths about wind turbines and other forms of renewable energy, usually told by shadowy figures and organisations such as Lord Lawson's ‘Global Warming Policy Foundation’ that are funded by the fossil fuel industry. Such myths have been used by some SMDC councillors to prevent the establishment of wind turbines and solar farms in the Moorlands.

Misinformation like this has exacerbated the Climate Emergency that is now so obvious to all. Most supporters and beneficiaries of the fossil fuel industry do now admit to the reality of climate change but their current policy is to delay reaching net zero carbon as long as possible by proposing false technological solutions and expecting taxpayers to pay for them or to argue that aiming for Net Zero is too expensive. After 30 years of uncontroversial and accumulating scientific evidence, during which time the fossil fuel lobby used all sorts of dirty tricks to mislead the public, why should we be expected to give taxpayers’ money to these people to promote carbon capture & storage and hydrogen schemes that depend on fossil fuels, when renewables and their related technologies would be so much cheaper and also more efficient?

One of the scientific challenges of becoming carbon neutral by 2030, as SMDC promised us two years ago, is not energy production itself but ensuring that supply is matched to demand. That’s why  storage capacity is necessary - to store electricity generated at times of peak output and make it available for use at times when it’s needed but the wind isn’t blowing or the sun shining, in other words, balancing the grid.

The drive for better storage comes from the need for motive power to transport people and goods.  This has brought down the price of lithium battery storage so much, it is now economic to attach battery storage to large solar farms, such as those proposed for the Moorlands. It also makes them cost-effective, as energy can then be sold at a higher price when demand is high, although the primary purpose of battery storage is to balance the grid.

England is particularly fortunate to have globally significant reserves of  lithium in Cornwall, with strong potential for extracting it economically as a

Energy can of course be stored in many ways.  Since the 1980s, there has been a large-scale pumped storage station at Dinorwig in Wales, with a hydro scheme operating to balance the grid. Another approach, planned for Cheshire, is to use an old salt producing area to store pressurised air underground. Perhaps in the distant future we will have a storage facility in the old salt area around Salt in Staffordshire.

Photo credit:  Solar-panel farm, Bishops Lydeard by Roger Cornfoot, Solar-panel farm, Bishops Lydeard - geograph.org.uk - 2538248, Cropped image, CC BY-SA 2.0

Moorlands Climate Action Energy Fair

The Foxlowe Arts Centre, Leek  - Sunday, 3rd April

The UK energy landscape has already begun to change dramatically but that change has only just started. The shift away from coal has meant that UK emissions fell by 29% in the last decade. But that top level reduction needs to be accelerated if national and local authority Net Zero targets are to be met. A key part of that will be the encouragement of renewable generation at a local level. 

Houses account for 28% of UK emissions alone. The scale of the task was set out in the government’s recent Heat and Building Strategy. Perhaps 60% of UK housing stock is not fit for Net Zero. Retrofitting housing with new heat sources and insulation will involve a substantial effort on behalf of local authorities and communities. 

On April 3rd MCA will be hosting an Energy Fair in Leek dedicated to bringing together members of the public, experts, businesses, councils, and community groups in the area. The day will see a range of presentations and workshops from the Moorlands and beyond for a range of knowledge levels.

This event will be held in the centre of Leek on the same day as the Totally Locally Sunday Supplement market.

Admission is free but, if you should wish to book a place in advance, you can do so via Eventbrite.

Upstairs in the Cabbage Rose workshop and the Rainbow Room there will be activities all day including miniature houses with solar panels, electrical circuits, demonstrations of static electricity,  windmills,  metal wire buzz games,  powered plasma globe and more.

Some hashtags for you to use leading up to and on the day: #MoorlandsClimateAction #MoorlandsClimateChange #MakeStaffordshireSustainable #TakeClimateAction  #SDG7 #SDG13 

As we all know, energy production and consumption are key issues facing the UK as it seeks to decarbonise. Here in the Moorlands, production opportunities seem limited, due to current planning restrictions, but there is still scope for both domestic and community electricity generation via solar installations and also to reduce carbon emissions via retrofit and insulation in our houses. Above all, there is a pressing need for information on the many and complex issues involved.

The Energy Fair we had planned for early February has had to be postponed due to Covid but we now plan to run it on Sunday 3rd April 2022, 10:00 till 16:00 at the Foxlowe Arts Centre, Leek. In addition to a range of stalls covering relevant materials, we have invited specialist speakers to present on the three main themes:

1. Community Energy Production
2. House Insulation and Retrofit possibilities
3. Personal/Domestic Energy Production and Use

We’re also planning a range of hands-on activities for children and like-minded adults to comple-ment the ‘heavy’ stuff.

All being well, the thermal imaging camera that we had booked for the February event will be available on the new date but in any event we will still be able display thermal images of Moorlands buildings with different levels and types of insulation to help us decide on the ideal insulation for our own homes. The camera will be in the Moorlands from Fri 28th January till Tuesday 8th February, so do let us know if you would like images taken of your house. You can contact us via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The absence of the feed-in tariff has led to a marked reduction of roof top solar installations on domestic building and the collapse of the "Green Deal" has delayed the time that Staffordshire Moorlands will become net zero. However, community solar energy is achievable in the Moorlands; it just requires local authorities, businesses, residents, etc. to be committed to taking advantage of the help that is available from cooperatives such as Big Solar. They are working to help communities get to net zero. An extract from their website is shown here.

"The Big Solar Co-op exists to make it possible for people to get solar built anywhere in the UK. Our work is led by volunteers, who we support in lots of different ways.

If you have a potential solar site to report, please tell us about it.

If you want to get solar rooftops built in your area ASAP, we can train you up to find potential sites, assess them and approach the owners.

If you are part of an existing community group there are several ways in which we can work together to get more solar built in your area."

The majority of council owned buildings in the Moorlands have been surveyed already but industrial sites and care homes have not. If you know the owners or tenants of buildings with large roofs, please put them in touch with the Big Solar Coop.

Picture credit: Carla Sam (https://carlasam.com). .

The good news is that there are many community groups throughout the country who are working to install community renewable energy to benefit both the local community and future generations. The nearest one to Leek is the hydro project at Havannah Weir, near Congleton, that’s operated by an Archimedes Screw turbine that feeds power to the grid, plus the local Siemens factory, and was instigated by Congleton Sustainability. They were fortunate that they got some funding from the feed-in tariff before the government abolished it in favour of large grants to the fossil fuel and nuclear industry for very expensive Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and nuclear power stations. As a result, small community developments are only economically viable if they can sell their electricity to a large daytime user, such as a factory, school or nursing home. You can find out more at the Congleton Hydro Project and see a video of Archie, their Archimedes Screw being installed. Here's the latest image of Archie up and running. Thanks to Paul Hopewell for providing it.

Despite the absence of hydro possibilities here, Staffordshire Moorlands could still work towards becoming self-sufficient in energy if all buildings were upgraded to a high standard of insulation. At present there are insufficient trained craftsmen to do the job and we hope that the County Council will make training and incentives two of their main priorities. To become truly self-sufficient, we also need both wind and solar power at community scale, which unfortunately is largely prevented by the current local plan. To achieve our carbon pledges, it is vitally important that ALL levels of government, from parish upwards, collaborate fully with the many civil organisations and businesses who are actively working to build renewable energy schemes and retrofit our stock of buildings. Only by doing so, will we reach net Zero Carbon by 2050.

With this in mind, Moorlands Climate Action is organising an Energy Fair for April 2022, when we plan to have experts on retrofitting existing buildings and renewable energy to answer your questions, along with other displays and presentations. We are looking for local contacts, so if you have any who may be interested, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

One of the cheapest ways to reduce the energy we use domestically is to have efficient insulation in all houses and it’s astonishing that the Government has not upgraded building regulations for new houses to a much higher standard. In addition, a major barrier to retrofitting older properties is the lack of trained contractors; the withdrawal of the Green Deal means many owners and contractors who would have taken action independently have been discouraged from pursuing energy efficiency. The Government should be training everyone in the construction industry about the importance of good airtightness and insulation. However, unless sufficient funds and grants (not loans) are available, the country will continue to build substandard houses and fail to insulate in a policy of misguided penny pinching, as high quality insulation is what saves money and minimises carbon emissions.

The good news is that lots of people want to take action and become more informed and many of our members are paving the way. To help with this, we plan to run an Energy Fair for April, 2022 to showcase what is possible in terms of insulation, solar, heat pumps and wind power. Before the event we’ll be inviting local firms who can help make the Moorlands sustainable, so if you have any contacts with firms who can help please let us know.
As we expect this to be a weekend event and exhibitors coming from a distance might like to sample some of Leek’s wonderful pubs, offers of accommodation for Saturday night would be very welcome. Since we hope to have plenty of volunteers to make this a substantial event, Saturday night could prove to be a convivial and synergistic event that’s supremely enjoyable for all.

One of the displays we plan to have at the fair is a set of thermal images to show the effectiveness of good insulation in minimising heat loss. With this in mind, we’ve booked a thermal camera for a fortnight, starting on Fri 28th January, so that MCA members can get thermal images of their houses to include in the display or just for their own information. Do let me know if you would like to take part in this.
Photo Credit: Passivhaus Institut, Passivhaus thermogram gedaemmt ungedaemmt, CC BY-SA 3.0. The image compares the heat loss for a traditional building (to the left) with that for a building insulated to PassiveHouse standards.

We’re aware that some of our members have already made great strides towards making their homes carbon-neutral and one that we already know about, Vince Cooper, will be showcasing what he's done in the run-up to The Great Big Green Weekend. But we’re sure there are plenty of others and we’d love to hear from you if you are one. I’m still struggling to retrofit my own rather elderly house and it would be great for us all to share our knowledge and experience. There will be more information about the fair in the next newsletter but if you‘d like to volunteer to help or get in touch for any other reason, please e-mail me via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Solar Farm
You may have seen that a planning application has been made recently for a small solar farm near Bagnall and Cheddleton. MCA and several of our members have submitted comments in support of this, as it’s one of the few viable options for renewable energy installations in the Moorlands. However it’s disappointing that some Parish councillors feel their role is to prevent renewable energy schemes rather than to make positive proposals that might contribute to a carbon-neutral parish. It’s possible they mistakenly believe that the Government, Staffordshire County Council or SMDC are doing something about the Climate Emergency but, as we know, there is little sign of Action yet. Fortunately there are some councillors who support the solar farm, to their credit, and we applaud them for doing so.

Nigel Williams
August 2021