Energy Made Locally. Profits Kept Locally.

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*we aim to keep 90% of surplus within local communities.

We believe the wind resource in Aberdeenshire should be used for the benefit of Aberdeenshire people. There are only 2 other community wind projects in Aberdeenshire that benefit local people and none in this area. The Kemps Hill Wind Co-operative is designed to benefit the local economy by keeping upto 90% of its surplus in local communities. The surplus is likely to be over 200,000 pa. Plans for the scheme have emerged at the same time the government unveiled details of Britains first Community Energy Strategy which aims to enable local communities to take control of their energy bills and help transform the energy system. The Kemps Hill Wind Co-op would help to fuel the equivalent of 500 local houses. The turbine will be 100% owned by members of the Kemps Hill Wind Co-operative, which you and anybody else can join. We will be prioritising local applications. Our co-op is an Industrial and Provident Society and is now in the process of being registered with the Financial Conduct Authority. It is a democratic, stable and proven structure for renewable energy projects. You can invest from 250 and get a decent return on your investment. Regardless of how much you put in you get one vote. The co-op has a board who are elected annually and we are keen to encourage local members to stand for election to the board. You will receive an annual interest payment based on the performance of the turbine and this will be published in our share offer document. Each year your return will increase because the FIT payments to your co-op will be index linked. The co-op plans to pay back your capital starting at year 5.

Our investment is projected to give you 7% interest, its ethical and helps to save the planet too.

Would you like to receive a Share Offer document when published? We will post a copy to you, just email your address to kemps.hill.energy@gmail.com
Tax payers may qualify for Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) tax relief at 30% of the value of the shares The co-op will also contribute to a substantial Community Fund so local benefit extends beyond co-op members. The Community Fund is anticipated to be around 10,000 a year, which is four times the rate that communities typically receive from commercial developers at this scale. Our policy will be to keep 100% of the Community Fund very local, within a tight radius of the turbine so funds will not be diluted. We aim to ensure local people have a say in how the Community Fund should be spent locally, in a fair way.

LOCATION

We have shown what the turbine would look like from 8 viewpoints in this leaflet because not everyone may have internet access at home. For those who do you can now view the full planning documents and photomontages online at Aberdeenshire Council Planning. We understand not everyone likes wind turbines and at our exhibition at the Tin Hut 25% of people commented that there were too many wind turbines in the area. Thats why the location of this turbine has been carefully selected so it is sensitive to the landscape character and places where people live. The choice of location avoided the crest of the hill and this has helped to reduce the visual impact locally, in some cases just to the tip of the blades will be visible. In many local places the turbine cannot be seen. Where it can be seen we have selected viewpoints from prominent public places and if there are trees in the way the wireframes indicate what the turbine would look like if it could be seen (shown on our website). http://kempshillwind.org.uk/

A lot of time went into deciding which point on the hill to locate the turbine with mathematical software mapping systems. Too far down the hill would reduce the wind flow and the profit that goes back in to the community, too far up the hill would increase the visual impact. We hope we have got it just right, but judge for yourself if you feel the visual impact is acceptable. Although we decided not to site the turbine at the top of the hill we are very pleased with the wind assessment calculated by Digital Engineering, a consultancy that specialises in wind speed calculation. The result was 7.5m/s. This is a good wind speed, which will generate significant renewable electricity. Careful thought too has been given to the track. It will be well screened by existing forestry and we intend to use as much existing track as possible by upgrading it to the correct specification.

View from Norwood Cottage

View from Tap O Noth

View from Gartly

View from Conzie Castle

View from Tap Coynachie

View from Kennethmont

We are following in the footsteps of other successful renewable energy co-ops such as Baywind in Cumbria, the UKs first wind co-op established in 1997 and still going strong. Also Dingwall Wind Co-op which was oversubscribed has just raised 850,000 and is now being built.

The Kemps Hill Wind Co-operative develops the local economy, it strengthens local society and it contributes to the improvement of our environment
For more information you can view our website at http://kempshillwind.org.uk/ Or you can email us at kemps.hill.energy@gmail .com The planning application number is APP/2014/0478 and the full application can be viewed at the Aberdeenshire council website.

Our co-op model is similar to that used at Dingwall and their Share Offer document will be managed by the same organisation, Sharenergy. You can have a look at the Dingwall Share Offer document at http://dingwallwind.org.uk/downloads/

If you would like to be involved with this community project please let us know
Follow us on Facebook at Kemps Hill Wind Co-op Follow us on Twitter at kempshillwind

View from Culdrain

View from Huntly Roundabout

The project has been developed to date by Anthony and Elaine Merrion, the landowners at the site. Anthony heard of the success of the Dingwall Wind Co-op in Ross-shire and decided that the co-op route was the best way to proceed with the project. The Merrions operate a forestry business at Kemps Hill and Collithie, and have done for the past 25 years. They live in Leicestershire. Forestry is a long term business and we now have a new 10 year forestry plan that takes into account all aspects of our business such as sustainability, biodiversity, cost management etc. Scottish Woodlands is the principle contractor at the site. We continue to employ local people and supply local sawmills. Detailed information about the busines can be seen at http://kempshillwind.org.uk/about/forestry/ Anthony is a founding director but when the co-op is fully up and running members will elect their own board and local directors will be encouraged to stand for election. Bill Slee Co-op Director. I have been a resident of North East Scotland for almost half my life and live in Alford. As a Research Scientist I cover a range of issues all connected to sustainable development of rural areas. I have worked on farm diversification, forestry and rural development, rural tourism, renewable energy and policy evaluation of farm, rural and environmental policy.

I am a member of the Think Tank of the Brussels-based European Network for Rural Development Evaluation and of the Scientific Advisory Board of the European Forest Institute. I was a member of the Scottish Governments Commission on the Delivery of Rural Education which reported in 2013. I see community ownership of renewable energy as a key way of allowing ordinary rural people to take part in the renewables revolution. At the moment rural communities get hold of only a tiny fraction of what renewable energy installations earn for the big electricity producers. Maybe only 5% at best of what renewables earn stays in the rural economy. With community and co-operative ownership more like 95% of the income can stay in rural areas and help local economies and ordinary rural people. The Co-operative model can stop the revenue leaking rapidly out of the rural economy. The dark shadow of climate change can also be addressed by increasing the share of renewables and promoting more sustainable and low carbon ways of living. I believe that we all have a responsibility to act. I first got to know the Gartly area over fifty years ago when as a child I had several holidays with my family staying in Mytice farmhouse. We spent happy days catching trout in the Kirkney Water and clambering up Tap o Noth and other hills. Nick Carroll is our other director, a local farmer who lives at Baliesward, Longhill, near Huntly. Nick is conscious about our environment and believes renewable energy will help promote a more sustainable world.

If you have any questions please email kemps.hill.energy@gmail.com