The first in an occasional series of features on HGN GOLD members, looks at:
Pomona Solar Co-operative 
Community-owned Pomona Solar Co-op has just celebrated 10 years of generating clean solar power while raising funds to support local causes.
Pomona’s site near Tarrington is fairly small by modern standards, with a generating capacity of 300 kilowatts – about the same as 80 domestic rooftops of solar PV. Over the past 10 years Pomona has generated 2900 megawatt hours (the amount that about 105 homes would use over the same period and saving the 15,000 tons of CO2 that a gas-fired power station would have emitted so benefiting the climate too).
The members of Pomona Co-op are mostly local people, who raised funds for the solar installation by making various-sized investments 10 years ago. Some of the electricity generated is bought by local businesses, and what they don’t need is sold via the grid. Each year the co-op members receive an interest payment, and the co-op puts funds aside to support community projects in Herefordshire. So far, almost £12,000 has been donated, to support low-energy lighting (Courtyard Theatre), for an energy survey (Llanwarne Village Hall), to support particularly vulnerable people with energy bills (Macmillan Cancer Support), for work with local environment groups (Herefordshire Green Network), for a scheme to encourage more community energy (Power to the People) along with funding about 50% of the new solar roof and battery storage at Almeley village hall. The installation was built by, and is maintained by Herefordshire firms.
MP Ellie Chowns celebrates Herefordshire community energy with Pomona members and other guests at Almeley village hall
Biodiversity improvement has also been a key aim at the site 
“Community energy schemes like this have so many benefits”, says one of the volunteer directors, Chris Boote. “Mind you, it hasn’t all been plain sailing. But we’re looking forward to the next 10 years of solar generation from the site, and to being able to support more local projects. And we’d love to see more community energy schemes take shape across the county”.
If your group is a GOLD member of HGN and you would like it featured in the Focus On… series, contact admin@hgnetwork.org
If you would like to become a GOLD member of HGN and be featured in a future Focus On,,,, piece click here.
No comments yet.