Inspirational day on energy use

The presentations by Rye Transition Town, Rother Environment Group and sustainable energy companies, with two inspirational talks by representatives from Lewes and Wadebridge, a town in Cornwall similar to Rye, showed a future independent of the Big Six energy companies.

The Lewes speaker, from OVESCo, showed how communities can build their own power stations, in effect, and reinvest the profits in local enterprises instead of exporting them to France, Germany, Spain and China. pv solar arrays have been installed on several School and Community buildings in and around Lewes, including on the roof of Harvey’s Brewery, who now export excess electricity for community benefit, after providing for their own needs.

It is now up to the people of Rye to build on the experiences of other communities to provide a more sustainable future for our children and grandchildren.

I expect some, like Barry Jones, are already composing their letters of denial and doom. The days of fossil-based energy production are over; the choice now is whether we generate our own electricity locally, or rely on huge overseas companies to treat us fairly, a forlorn hope given recent experience.

Chris McGrath

The Grove, Rye