“As a firm we have been working on some of the most pioneering and cutting edge projects in the region and across the country. We want to communicate and highlight the importance of these projects in a wider context – their importance in servicing the growing energy needs of the communities in which they are based and also further afield,” Sonya Bedford, Head of Renewable Energy at Stephens Scown Solicitors, explains.
The infographic, a pictorial way of displaying facts and figures in an engaging way, highlights a trend toward increasing energy needs, with renewable energy contributing only 3.9% toward energy consumed in the UK in comparison to other EU countries such as Germany (11.7%), France (8.5%) and Italy (7.4%).
“With EU targets set at hitting 15% of energy from renewable technologies by 2020, these figures highlight that there is much to be done and many more opportunities within the sector in coming years across a number of technologies,” Bedford comments. “The South West of England has been a hotbed for the industry in recent years and there are some clear examples of the region leading the way – we’ve worked with Wheal Jane, the first large scale solar site in the country to gain planning consent and with Hendra Holiday Park, the second largest solar park in the UK at time of energising in July 2011 with some 5,000 panels on site, to name just a two examples.”
Indeed the firm’s commitment and expertise in the sector can be seen far further afield than in the South West – those driving through Sussex will see 25 schools adorned in solar panels and the firm are also working on a project to generate energy from the River Thames at Goring and Streatly.
Another key element of the infographic was to express renewable energy outputs in terms that people could relate to. Sonya explained “The team has supported projects already generating 35MW of energy, with another 45MW in the pipeline. This is a fantastic amount of energy but is it a tangible figure that resonates with people living in local communities. Expressing this in terms of the boils of a kettle, mobile phone chargers or the energy we use to simply cook an evening meal – things that we all do without thinking – places these figures sharply into the context of our everyday lives and is a very important message to deliver in terms of promoting the importance of the renewable energy sector going forward.”
With offices in Exeter, Truro and St Austell the firm has generated enough energy to sustain the communities in which they are based – totalling in excess of 80,000 households and a combined population of north of 190,000 people. Sonya added “These figures are testament to our commitment to supporting renewable energy projects through to successful fruition. As the infographic has highlighted, renewable energy is the key to meeting energy needs and achieving a sustainable future.”
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