Tanya is a highly experienced and respected sustainability professional who has worked with a range of public and third sector organisations, including the City and County of Swansea.  She currently works at the Future Generations Commissioner’s Office. She uses her extensive experience in management and leadership, to develop interventions to embed sustainability practices in organisations to help meet their business objectives, build resilience and capitalise on the opportunities provided by innovative approaches to sustainable development.   As well as being an experienced trainer, facilitator and qualified teacher, Tanya is a competent programme and project manager. Tanya is also Board member of SCEES, she is a Swansea school governor, a member of Cae Tan Community Agriculture Scheme and has been a member of Gower Power since November 2013. She enjoys spending her spare time outside, walking her dogs, cycling and camping.

Ant is one of the founders of Gower Power Co-op.

He has an MBA from Cardiff Business School and has been developing and managing social enterprises since 2001. He has long been fascinated by and involved in Positive Investment. He is the director of numerous social enterprises including Cae Tan CSA and SCEES, whose over-subscribed community share offer he co-ordinated at the end of 2016. He sits on Swansea Environmental Forum’s Executive Board and is vice chair of Swansea Local Action Group which helps to deliver the Welsh Government’s Rural Development Plan. He cares passionately about the importance of supporting local producers and suppliers and wants to build more community ownership of local assets.

When he can get away from Gower Power’s office in Parkmill, his favourite hobby is kitesurfing.

John Whiten co-lead the development of Wedmore solar co-operative, a 1 MW scheme in Somerset (www.wedmorecpc.co.uk), which raised over £1 million in community shares.

He also founded the award-winning solar panel installers, Ethical Solar (www.ethicalsolar.org), who have installed hundreds of photovoltaic systems. Whilst most of their work is domestic they have installed larger systems on farms and community buildings. Their clients include Bristol City Council, Bristol Power CIC, Bristol Energy Coop and The Wildlife Trust.

They have been in business since January 2010 and have many more years of renewables, roofing and electrical experience within the team. They are accredited by MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme), REAL and the CPA.

Tom is a biodynamic horticulturalist with a postgraduate in organic farming.

He has over 15 years of experience in diverse land-based projects. Tom was directly involved in developing one of Wales’ most successful Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) schemes in St Davids and will be leading the development of Cae Tan CSA.

Local energy storage and supply project.

This innovative project, called Gower Power Solar Storage, is the first of it’s kind in Wales providing local people with a chance to buy locally produced renewable energy over the local grid. When you sign up for our electricity tariff you can rest assured that all the profits of the scheme will stay in the local area. As well as 100% clean electricity you’ll also get excellent customer service that you won’t have to pay a premium for. Any energy that you need that we can’t produce from our solar farm and storage facility will be bought off other Welsh renewable energy providers.

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1MW community-owned solar farm in Dunvant.

‘The most commendable sustainable electricity generation project undertaken by a community group across Wales and England.’ (2017 Community Renewable Energy Project Award WINNERS)

This 1 Megawatt solar farm, that is enough electricity for about 300 houses, is the first community-owned solar farm in Wales. All profits are being used for regenerating the local area by supporting land-based livelihoods and building education and skills in order to make the rural economy more environmentally sensitive and stronger.

Further to a successful community share offer which raised circa £900k, Gower Power Co-op CIC put this solar farm into community ownership in 2017. Returns to investors are projected at 5% per year.

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5MW solar farm in Llangefelach.

The community benefit society that will own Brynwhilach solar farm is called Gower Power Solar Ltd. The 5MW solar farm which is already operational is generating enough electricity for 1500 households. The date of the community share offer will be announced later this year. Please sign up for updates below.

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Community Supported Agriculture scheme on Gower.

Cae Tan Community Supported Agriculture, based on Gower, is one of the flagship community projects that Gower Power Co-op CIC supports. We helped set up Cae Tan in 2015 and it is now the largest CSA in Wales providing weekly organic vegetable boxes to over 130 local households. As well as providing a bountiful harvest each week, Cae Tan delivers educational programmes in schools and also therapeutic work onsite to disadvantaged groups. As well as continuining to provide strategic advice and business planning support, for 2019, we are helping sponsor Cae Tan’s education officer who is working in primary schools across Swansea.

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390KW roof mounted solar on schools.

Swansea Community Energy & Enterprise Scheme is unlike most community-owned renewable energy companies in that it was initiated by our local council (City & County of Swansea Council). Gower Power Co-op CIC ran SCEES’ community share offer in 2016, raising £465k, it was over-subscribed in a number of weeks.  SCEES is now run independently by a group of local Directors. SCEES manages 390kw of solar PV, on 9 schools and 1 care home for the benefit of residents in some of the more deprived areas in Swansea.

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The Welsh Government Energy Service, helps realise Wales’ decarbonisation ambitions and support the public sector and community energy sector in Wales.

It aims to develop energy efficiency and renewable energy projects that will reduce carbon emissions and support the drive towards a successful low carbon economy. The service provides technical, financial and other specialist support for energy projects to realise cost savings, income generation and maximise the benefits retained in Wales. The service has been provided essential support to the Gower Regeneration and Gower Power Solar Storage projects.

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Environmental Finance is the UK’s leading environmental impact investment adviser, offering corporate finance advisory and fund management services across conservation, natural capital and renewable energy projects.

They recently developed Community Owned Renewable Energy LLP (CORE Partners), a £40m investment programme targeting operational, ground-mounted solar farms and through this programme have supported Gower Power Co-op CIC to acquire a 5MW solar farm at Brynwhilach, Llangefelach. The programme’s principal objective is to turn solar farms into community-owned assets, whilst maximising the financial, environmental and social impact within the community.

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Juno supports commercial and community energy projects with a focus on solar and marine technology.

Having recently carried out site development activities including design, contracts and consenting for clients including Morlais, GSK, Locogen and Gower Power Co-op CIC, the team has led some of the first marine energy and community solar projects in the UK. Juno have been instrumental in the development of both the Gower Regeneration and Gower Power Solar Storage projects

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