The Renewable Energy Office for Cornwall (REOC) was set up as a public/private partnership limited company in 2000. Its primary aim was to encourage the development of a wide spectrum of Renewable Energy technologies in Cornwall, a county with an abundance of renewable energy potential due to its geographical position (wind, wave and tide) and its mining legacy (geothermal, deep mine workings and the Camborne School of Mines.).

The REOC vision for Cornwall is:

“To become an internationally recognised centre of excellence for a wide range of renewable energy technologies and to develop these so as to meet a high proportion of the county's energy needs.”

From the vision statement above, two main areas of activity can be identified:

1) The development of a cluster of renewable energy technologies

Cornwall already has about twenty medium and small companies covering a wide spectrum of renewable energy technologies. There is a need for an organisation such as the Renewable Energy Office for Cornwall to help coordinate their development, provide information on possible sources of funding and lobby, when necessary, on their collective behalf.

REOC will also provide these emerging companies with a useful forum for exchange of information and the potential for joint partnerships where two of more different technologies might produce a better business solution than one - for example wave and tidal stream working together, or anaerobic digestion sharing a hook up to the grid with an onshore wind farm and energy crop gasification plant.

In time, the REOC forum would become Cornwall's renewable energy centre of excellence, providing an initial point of contact for inward investment in renewable energy and general renewable energy enquires.

2) Meeting Cornwall's energy needs

As a virtual island that is well endowed with renewable energy sources, Cornwall could not only become more self sufficient for energy than any other region in the UK and EU but it could also, as the most visited rural county in the UK, provide an renewable energy showcase for others to learn from and emulate at a time when Government is committed to 20% renewable energy by 2020 and a 60% cut in CO2 emissions by 2050.

Why choose renewable energy in Cornwall?

This information sheet from REOC briefly introduces the benefits of Renewable Energy including:

• Reducing the impacts of Climate Change
• Reducing local environmental impacts
• Being more self sufficient
• Creating new jobs and businesses

For more information, click here to download the PDF.

Climate Change

The world is warming. Global mean temperatures have risen about 0.6oC since 1860 when systematic temperature records began. The 20th Century was probably the warmest in the past 1000 years.

Climate change later this century will be determined by the emissions we allow now. The UK will be warmer and this will certainly bring advantages. However, we are also likely to experience more extreme weather and we need to start planning now to deal with the consequences, such as additional flooding, drought and sea level rise.

To find out more on climate change the following download from REOC includes:

• What is Climate change?
• What is Global Warming?
• What is the Greenhouse Effect?
• The world is warming
• The evidence
• The year ahead
• The effect on the UK
• The future

For more information, click here to download the PDF.

Peak Oil

Peak Oil is the point at which less oil is available to drill than is already being used. Oil experts think this point is within ten years and may already be here. The Saudis have the largest oil reserves on the planet and Saudi oil production dropped by 8% in 2006.

To find out more on the Peak Oil situation read the following REOC document which includes:

• World oil discoveries
• Total world oil production
• The current situation
• The impacts of Peak Oil
• Useful references

For more information, click here to download the PDF.

Low Carbon Cornwall

REOC has developed “A vision for Cornwall in the age of climate change” with the vision “To achieve sustainable prosperity through the vibrant greening of the economy and innovations in creativity and for living.” The full document and its summary are available and include information on, rising energy prices in Cornwall, local greenhouse gas emissions and options for a cool Cornwall.

The REOC Strategy

This brochure from REOC is available as a download or a hard copy can be purchased directly from REOC.

The two main aims of this strategy are: Renewable energy development and renewable energy company cluster development.

• The strategy gives detailed information on a number of topics including briefly:
• The present energy situation in Cornwall and renewable energy resources
• Planning and policy background, education and awareness
• Renewable energy technologies
• A plan of action for Cornwall

For more information, click here to download the PDF.

For more details, please contact us.