Hazelmead

What is the Hazelmead community?

Cepro partnered with Bridport Cohousing and Bournemouth Churches Housing Association to develop a new smart community microgrid at the Hazelmead housing development that is redeﬁning the way housing estates provide an energy service to its residents. Bristol Energy Co-operative and Low Carbon Dorset provided funding for the installation.

The microgrid supplies 54 homes in Bridport, Dorset and was completed in Dec 2023.

CASE STUDY

The solution

The project has installed a new substation and private electricity network, a 210kW solar array, a 1609 kWh community battery and 10 community electric vehicle charge posts; all linked by Cepro energy communities software. The project has invested in Kirk Hill wind farm in Scotland to meet residual energy demand for the first 25 years.

CASE STUDY

The outcome

Hazelmead residents are largely autonomous in energy use and protected from volatile energy prices while Bristol Energy Cooperative has been able to put nearly £1m in capital to work providing a stable return to investors over 30 years.