Barton Heat project to empower tower block residents
Rosa O’Neill, digital content manager at Barton Heat, announces news of new community work funded via our Feeder Road battery storage project
We are pleased to announce the launch of Barton Heat, a new community project in Barton Hill, Bristol, that will promote sustainable practices and reduce energy costs. The project is a collaborative effort between residents, local organisations such as Residents Against Dirty Energy (RADE) and Baggator, with support from Bristol Energy Co-op and Thrive Renewables .
Our objective is to empower the community to make a positive impact on the environment and reduce their energy bills. Part of the work is to explore how to transform the tower blocks on the estate into energy-efficient homes, and to use energy from renewable sources; creating better living conditions, addressing the cost of living crisis, promoting cleaner air and helping tackle climate breakdown.
This project is the fruit of the Feeder Road battery storage project. Over a number of years, the community – led by RADE with support from BEC – fought back against plans to build diesel power plants in the area, one right next to a nursery school. Thanks to their incredible effort, instead of a polluting peaker plant, Thrive Renewables were able to construct a battery storage facility, which went online in November. In recognition of the community support provided to the project, Thrive invited BEC to coinvest. When fully charged the batteries deliver 1.5 hours of electricity, providing 30MWh of power to the grid. This kind of battery technology is crucial in decarbonising the grid, storing electricity when renewable resources like wind and sunshine are abundant, for use when the power is most needed.
Barton Heat is a collective effort, and we are proud to have the support of local community organisations such as St Philip’s Forum and Easton Energiser, as well as Bristol Energy Network. The project also involves students from UWE and Bristol University, who are eager to contribute their knowledge to the initiative. However, the most important contributors are the residents of Barton Hill, who are the driving force of the campaign.
We are still in the early stages of planning, but we have several ideas brewing. We are installing an information point in Cafe Conscious, a local cafe in Barton Hill. This will serve as a meeting place where residents can express their concerns and get answers to their queries. We also plan to explore sustainable energy sources that could be most effective in the area. To achieve this, we will collaborate with companies and organisations that have expertise in the field. Our aim is to create a network that benefits everyone.
We invite anyone interested to participate in upcoming meetings and information sessions to learn more about the project and contribute their ideas. Together, we can make Barton Hill a shining example of a sustainable and thriving community, serving as a model for other communities across the country.
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Rosa’s role is supported via the University of the West of England’s Skills Bootcamp Internship Scheme.
