Co-Pilot Wind Project: affordable green energy for everyone
A ground-breaking sustainable energy co-operative, the Graig Fatha (formerly Co-Pilot Wind Project) is paving the way to fairer, more affordable access to green power.
The co-op has 800 members throughout the UK who have invested in the Graig Fatha wind farm in Wales – to have the energy it produces supplied to them via the national grid.
Graig Fatha is on a mission to make green energy ownership easy and inexpensive. “Our purpose is to enable anyone, whether they own their own home or rent – or can’t afford the up-front cost of rooftop solar – to decarbonise their home with their own green power from as little as £25,” says Sarah Merrick, founder and CEO, Ripple Energy.
Together, the Graig Fatha members have committed £1.5m and the society has secured funding from the Welsh Government – to build a turbine, which will start generating power from the wind farm in December 2021.
From then on, £75,000 of the turbine’s annual revenue will be channelled via charity partners to address fuel poverty in South Wales.
Consumers can become members of the co-op and owners of the farm when they sign up to receive their electricity from Graig Fatha through the Ripple website.
As members are spread throughout the UK, communication between them is carried out digitally through regular email updates, an online dashboard and webinars. This enables all members to participate actively in the society.
“We’re shaking up the energy industry and we want people to be part of it,” says Sarah. “We believe this innovative project is truly of its time and will create benefits for our members, the community and the environment.”