Solar panels on the barn roof. Photo: Anthony Woolhouse.
Taking the long view
Anthony Woolhouse writes about living out Quaker testimony
Sustainability is a difficult concept. In 2011 Britain Yearly Meeting decided to be a low carbon society. This is perhaps easier to understand, as low carbon means keeping fossil fuels (oil, gas and coal) in the ground, and using renewable, clean electricity to heat homes and businesses, and to power cars, lorries, buses and trains.
Sustainability is not a new concept. John Woolman said in 1772: ‘The produce of the earth is a gift from our gracious creator to the inhabitants, and to impoverish the earth now to support outward greatness appears to be an injury to the succeeding age’ (Quaker faith & practice 25.01).
Perhaps the elephant in the room is that sustainability is not one of our recognised testimonies. We need to insert it alongside the testimonies to peace, truth and simplicity. It should, in my opinion, be a testimony, as conflict over oil and gas reserves has caused wars. If we produced our own renewable electricity we would not have to import oil and gas. Is climate change real? Data shows that 2017 was the hottest year on record without an El Niño and one of the three hottest ever recorded. This is an essential truth.
Many Quakers invested in the West Solent Solar Co-operative and we are grateful for their support. Since then several other solar projects have had to be cancelled through a lack of grid capacity, a failure to get planning permission, and reductions in the government subsidies. However, taking the long view, you do not give up. You persist. You overcome the obstacles that government and the established utilities place in front of you. You devise new business models.
The Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust are helping improve the biodiversity on West Solent Solar’s site. They also have some farms with large barns, that are perfect for installing solar panels. In late April this year we installed a 24.4 kW solar roof to one barn near Winchester. This is where the ‘long view’ comes in. The barn needed a new electricity supply. The first quote for a three-phase connection was £23,000. After six months this was reduced to £9,000, following a period of local negotiation and system changes.
Scottish & Southern Electricity (SSE) take three months to decide on each new generation connection. We had to make three grid applications to find a specification that was economically feasible and after a year or so were able to install the solar panels.
The Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is an equity partner, and since I am now a member of the Trust they now know more about solar electricity generation. This is a true partnership. While developing the project there was the opportunity to learn about sustainable farming. The Trust has pure breeds. A British White calf was born in the barn during the project.
The solar roof will now generate clean non-polluting electricity for the next thirty years or so. I am presently working on the second barn, which is near Hook in Hampshire.
I am one Quaker doing my best to develop sustainable electricity generation. I am sure other Quakers are doing similar sustainable activities.
May our struggles and our concern for this planet never take away the joy of hope.
- From Laudato Si: on care for our common home by Pope Francis.
