The PUNL share offer for Hampstead School has now sold out. This follows completion of the Muswell Hill Golf Club share offer. We would like to send our thanks to everyone that invested and promoted the share offers.
The team is now working on commissioning the installations over the coming weeks and we will share further details on timelines shortly.
Investors can expect to receive further information on their shareholding in early February and we will also share plans on celebration events in due course.
The PUNL share offer for Muswell Hill Golf Club has sold out. The offer for Hampstead School is nearly three quarters sold.
PUNL has to raise £46,000 by 31 January to deliver the school installation by the end of March and local people can invest anything between £250 and £4,500 in a green, ethical investment, with a projected 2% return.
Don’t miss out and follow through on New Year green resolution(s) and take an active stake in the ownership and management of locally produced renewable energy by investing now.
It is a ‘winners all round’ project, as the school gets cheaper, greener energy; investors see a return on their ethical investment and the project will save 230 tonnes of carbon over the first 20 years.
Camden Council sees this as an important project in terms of turning their climate emergency declaration into action and partner with different organisations. Hampstead School has not only stressed this project will save them money on energy bills but also educate pupils on the environment and renewables. For PUNL, it will help lead the way to more solar school projects – and any surplus generated will go towards other local community energy projects.
PUNL today launched its third and fourth share offers, for Hampstead School and Muswell Hill Golf Club. Overall, PUNL is looking to raise £83,000 to install 77kWp of solar panels, more than doubling our current solar generating capacity. It is estimated that the two projects will enable the avoidance of over 350 tonnes of carbon emissions and the sites will receive a discount on the clean energy sold to them by PUNL.
You can invest between £250 and £4,600 (for Hampstead) and £3,700 (for MHGC). Investors will receive 2% annual interest over the 20 year life of the investment. Invest early to avoid disappointment – our last share offer closed within two weeks, and if we do not raise the funds by the deadlines (18th Jan for MHGC, 31st Jan for Hampstead), the projects will not go ahead.
This is a great opportunity to do your bit to fight the climate emergency at the end of a year that has seen unprecented progress in public interest and awareness as well as political engagement. We thank our partners at the GLA, Camden Council and MHGC for helping us to get to this stage.
Power Up North London is a community business that delivers renewable energy and energy saving projects. To date, we have completed two solar installs at St Anne’s Church in Highgate, and Caversham Group Practice in Kentish Town. We have also delivered a range of other projects in relation to LED lighting, energy saving advice, and private wire.
Contact us at powerupnorthlondon@gmail.com if you have any questions, would like to find out more, or are interested in a project.
100 tonnes of carbon savings over the next three years
We are aiming to raise c. £80,000 of core funding over the next two years, to help achieve this as quickly and effectively as possible.
Why donate? The funds will allow us to pay for feasibility studies, and also to invest in staff to help develop new projects.
The upfront investment would enable us to unlock a further £300,000 in investments and – more importantly – reach our carbon reduction target.
What next? Please donate any amount to help us achieve our goals and contribute to combating climate change.
Do e-mail us at powerupnorthlondon@gmail.com if you have any questions.
Call for volunteers with engineering, marketing and social media skills
The declaration of a climate emergency means that our work is gaining growing attention and support which is great, but we are looking for more volunteers to help us.
Power Up North London is also launching two major new share offers soon and will need your help.
We are particularly keen to hear from engineers with experience of project management – particularly the renewables sector. Also, anyone with marking experience would be welcome to the fold and social media skills would be a bonus.
Please contact PUNL: powerupnorthlondon@gmail.com if you can help.
Solar for schools
Wouldn’t it be great if most schools in Camden and Islington were able to generate solar energy?
Not only would schools benefit from cheaper, cleaner electricity, but the installations and accompanying display panels they would also provide a ‘teaching moment’ for pupils, parents and the wider community. Science lessons could centre on the physics of panels; geography on the contribution of the energy transition to reversing climate breakdown; maths on the costs and benefits of scaling home grown energy and politics and economics of government subsidies for fossil fuels versus clean energy!!!
We are in advanced discussions with Camden Council to make this idea a reality on at least two schools in the borough. This would be our largest project to date – installing up to a total of !50 Kw generating capacity. We estimate that at least 80% of the electricity will be used by the schools, with the remainder exported to the grid.
The project will make good financial sense for PUNL and for shareholders. By bundling the scheme into one agreement, we are able to keep our legal costs down, and because these are larger installations and the schools themselves are large users we are able to realise some economies of scale.
It will be our largest share offer yet – we will need to raise between £70,000-£100,000. So we will need your help getting the word out there! The share offer should be launched in December, so what about buying friends and family members a really novel, climate friendly present – shares in community energy?
To find out more: email Power Up North London and we will get in touch when the offer goes live.
Caversham Practice update
PUNL completed the installation of the 30kWp PV solar array at The Caversham Group Practice mid-March 2019 We are delighted that the site has already generated an estimated 20,730 kWh in it’s first six months, displacing 7.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide and saving the practice £312 in electricity costs. It has been great to work together with The Caversham Group practice on this positive initiative.
For project updates, please use the dropdown menus under Projects.
Think&Do
Following one of the recommendations from the Citizens Assembly: “to mobilise community”, Transition Kentish Town along with other community groups are working with Camden Council to co-design a pop up community space which is opening next week in Kentish Town.
Based in the old Flapjacks cafe, Think&Do will be a community space for Climate and Eco Action. Open for 6 weeks every Thursday-Saturday, midday to 8pm from the beginning of November, it is a space for the community to come together to co-create ideas to address the Climate and Ecological Emergency in Camden.
Power Up North London is giving a talk on renewable energy from 6pm-8pm on 8 November.
Think&Do will be hosting “Imagination workshops, energy forums, ideas for greening up, share and repair, transport and pollution campaigning, fashion up-cycling, film-screening, a school wall, mapping workshops, and Saturday surplus suppers cooked with Vegbox”:
There will even be an energy bike to power a string of solar lights! Come and burn up some calories.
PUNL is pleased to have completed the installation of the 30kWp PV solar array at The Caversham Group Practice mid-March 2019.
The site has been registered for the Feed-in Tariff and the panels are generating solar electricity and performing well with 1337kWh of solar electricity had been generated in just under three weeks.
During April, PUNL will install an electronic display in the reception area of the Practice which will show the CO2 savings, the solar energy generated in both real time and in total.
Meter reading on 7 April
PUNL has an annual operation and maintenance contract for the panels and this will mean their performance will be regularly monitored to check they are working at the correct level.
Standing – Ben Pearce, Dr Alex Warner and Dr Jane Myat
On 3 April, PUNL organised a small investor celebration at the Practice to thank funders and investors for their support. The event was well attended and Ben Pearce (PUNL’s Chair) took the opportunity to thank investors and funders.
PUNL could not have done this project without the support of the GLA who funded the feasibility work and Sylvia Baron was thanked. Thanks also went to Claire Hanratty and her team at Pure Leapfrog and Simmons & Simmons for providing a grant to support the cost of the solar panels. Dr Alex Warner, Dr Jane Myat and Sheetal Shah from the Caversham Practice were thanked for their support and determination to see this project through along with shareholders for their investment in the panels without which the project could not have been delivered.
Green Party co-leader Sian Berry with PUNL chair Ben Pearce
Shareholders should note that share certificates will be sent out to new investors this week.
The £28,000 target for the Community Share Offer for solar panels at the Caversham Group Practice, in Kentish Town, Camden has been reached 11 days early.
PUNL would like to thank the 39 investors who made this happen, along with support from Keir Starmer, local councillors and many people from the local community.
Power Up North London are looking to raise £28,000 through a Community Share Offer to install 30kW of solar PV at Caversham Group Practice, Camden. Invest now here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/punl-cgp
In 2018 we conducted three PV solar feasibility studies in Camden funded by the Greater London Authority, and one in Islington, funded by the Islington Community Energy Fund. We are now moving forward with the installation of a 30kWp solar PV array at the Caversham Group Practice.
“Power Up North London (PUNL) is a fantastic, independent grass roots organisation in Camden, which is pioneering a new model for combatting climate change by empowering local residents to play a part in reducing carbon emissions and developing strong community resilience.” Sir Keir Starmer QC, MP for Holborn & St Pancras
“I am happy to support this valuable initiative in our communit.”Jenny Headlam-Wells, Labour Councillor for Kentish Town Ward & Mayor of Camden 2018-19
The Caversham Group Practice PV Solar Project
Caversham Group Practice is an established NHS teaching and training practice in the London borough of Camden with 15,000 registered patients. PUNL has been working with them over the past 15 months, from initial conversations to establish interest and suitability of the site, to a successful application for feasibility funding from the GLA, completing the feasibility with a green light to proceed and putting the legal documentation in place for a lease between Caversham and PUNL.
We are now moving to the installation phase and must raise the capital to purchase the solar panels. We need £28k for the solar panels, electronic display and fundraising costs. We have a commitment for £5k grant funding from Simmons & Simmons if we are able to raise the rest of the funds from community shares. The project aim is to install 30kWp of PV solar panels on the south and west facing roofs of the Practice. The panels are estimated to generate c.25MWh of electricity annually, and to meet about half of the projected daytime electricity consumption, while displacing 8 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. Invest here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/punl-cgp
What are the benefits of the project?
The panels will generate an estimated 25MWh of clean energy a year, which equates to a reduction in carbon emissions of around 8 tonnes/year.
The Practice will benefit from discounted energy, through a power purchase agreement with Power Up North London.
Staff, patients and other members of the local community will benefit from a small return on their investment, while being given the opportunity to invest for social and environmental benefit Any surplus income will be put into PUNL’s Community Energy Fund, which will be available for further projects in the local area
The panels will be a community asset that can be used for educational purposes and to encourage others to explore renewable energy
Where will the income come from?
The £28,000 Community Share Offer will fund the installation of the panels. Power Up North London will receive income from three sources:
We have a Feed- in -Tariff (FiT) rate secured for 20 years, which is a payment from the government for each unit of energy generated
Selling electricity to the Caversham Group Practice at a discounted price
Selling any remaining energy back to the grid.
Shareholder Benefits
Buying shares in PUNL means you will automatically become a member of the Community Benefit Society. Your investment plus a small amount of interest will be repaid in annual instalments from 2020. The average annual interest rate is estimated to be 2% for the length of this project. Members are entitled to receive the Society’s annual accounts, vote at the Society’s Annual General Meetings, and stand for election to the Board of Directors. Members will democratically decide on future projects and how PUNL’s Community Energy Fund is to be administered. We hope you will view investment as an opportunity to support a project with environmental and social benefit; the rate of return is modest in keeping with our rules as a Community Benefit Society. Invest here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/punl-cgp
The Shares
Shares are in Power Up North London, a registered Community Benefit Society.
The Shares are Ordinary shares of £1 each. For each member, the minimum investment is £250 (1) and the maximum is £3,000. Each member will have one vote irrespective of the amount invested. The shares are in PUNL as a whole, and not the Caversham Group Practice installation specifically. This means interest rates may be affected by future share offers, however all future projects will be subject to the approval of members and will only be recommended for approval if they maintain or increase upon the current projected interest rate. Invest here:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/punl-cgp
(1) Staff and patients of the Caversham Group Practice may invest a minimum of £100 each.
PUNL is launching a Share Offer to raise £28,000 for a 30kWp PV solar array on the south and west facing roofs of the Caversham Group Practice.
This is the result of 15 months of work from initial conversations with the Practice, to a successful application for feasibility funding from the GLA, completing the feasibility with a green light to proceed and putting the legal documentation in place for a lease between Caversham and PUNL.
We are now moving to the installation phase and must raise the necessary funds for the solar panels, electronic display and fundraising costs.
The share offer is time bound and will open on 23 January and close on 15 February, or when the target is reached, whichever comes first.
The minimum investment is £250 (1) and the maximum investment is £3000.
We invite you to invest in this important project with environmental, social and financial benefits for the Practice and the local community.
For now, register your interest here to find out first when the share offer launches.
(1) Patients and staff of the Caversham Group Practice can invest a minimum of £100
Power Up North London has been given funds from Islington’s Community Energy Fund for a replacement lighting project and feasibility studies for solar panels and battery storage at three other community buildings in Islington.
It follows PUNL being awarded London Community Energy Fund grants for feasibility studies for three buildings in Camden.
The buildings/blocks are: Caxton House where LED lights will replace existing lighting, Elizabeth House, Elthorne Pride and Whittington Park Community Association which will undergo tests for solar panel potential, including storing the renewable energy in batteries onsite.
The fund is provided by the borough’s carbon offset fund – money paid by developers to offset the emissions they generate while building.
Cllr Claudia Webbe, Islington’s executive member for environment and transport, said: “I’m really impressed with the enthusiasm and imagination I’ve seen in the applications for the first round of funding
“I’m already looking forward to seeing these projects come to fruition, and hearing about other schemes and bright ideas for generating power at a local level, cutting energy bills and reducing the borough’s carbon footprint.
“The Community Energy Fund is a great grass-roots initiative that can literally put power in the hands of residents, community groups and charitable organisations.”
Power Up North London (PUNL) has been awarded £34,140 by the GLA’s London Community Energy Fund for feasibility studies for putting solar panels on three buildings in Camden.
The mayor awarded a total of £150,000 to 13 solar energy projects across eight London boroughs.
PUNL was awarded £12,940 to investigate putting solar panels on the roof of the Caversham Group Practice (CGP), an established teaching and training practice in Camden with 15,000 registered patients. The community energy group estimates the panels (29kWp) will save 20-25% on the practice’s electricity bills. It is also looking at the use of battery storage.
At Kentish Town City Farm, a community charity that helps city people connect with animals, nature and the environment, the study (£9700) will be focused on whether a stable block can support solar panels (11kWp). The block is in a highly visible position enabling the promotion of renewable energy technologies to visitors.
And at the LUX Centre, an international arts agency in Waterlow Park, PUNL has been awarded £11,500 to investigate the feasibility of installing 34kWp of solar panels. It will also look at the possibility of installing battery storage that could enable charging electric vehicles overnight to help tackle pollution and clean up the air in the park. This project should result in financial savings for LUX that will be reinvested in community events and other energy efficiency initiatives.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “London has a wealth of buildings that can harness solar energy, but we’re simply not making enough of them. Generating clean, local electricity can help cut bills, and bulk buying will make solar panels more affordable. I’m also working with Transport for London to expand the use of solar power and energy efficiency across their buildings. I’m delighted to see so much interest in community energy, which is just one part of my plan to make London a zero-carbon city by 2050.”
Ben Pearce one of the PUNL directors and secretary said: “Power Up North London is delighted that our three applications to the London Community Energy Fund were approved by the GLA. We are now looking forward to working with the three sites to explore the feasibility of solar PV installations and will also assess the potential for battery storage.
“The three sites, Caversham Group Practice, LUX (based in the Waterlow Park Centre) and Kentish Town City Farm are all community sites that deliver positive social impact for their users. They are all committed to combatting climate change and supporting those in need within our community.
“We also look forward to engaging with local residents, as we run community engagement events over the coming weeks and months. This is an opportunity to continue to shape community energy in North London and enable more local clean energy generation.”
Caversham Group Practice is an established NHS teaching and training practice in the London borough of Camden with 15,000 registered patients. PUNL has been working with them over the past 15 months, from initial conversations to establish interest and suitability of the site, to a successful application for feasibility funding from the GLA, completing the feasibility with a green light to proceed and putting the legal documentation in place for a lease between Caversham and PUNL.
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