Free 'off-grid solar' workshops in Battle, Eastbourne & Hastings

Local community benefit society Energise Sussex Coast will be bringing its popular free workshops on off-grid solar power to Battle, Eastbourne and Hastings this month.

The workshops are aimed at anyone interested in making a small 100% off-grid solar power system for their shed, workshop, truck, or van. They are aimed at all levels. In particular no technical background is needed to understand them.

Places for the workshops (which are entirely free) can be booked online at www.energisesussexcoast.co.uk/events

The Eastbourne workshops, which are being co-hosted by the Eastbourne ECO Action Network, will be taking place 6- 8pm on Friday 13 and Friday 20 November at the Langney Community Centre (Etchingham Road, BN23 7DX).

The Battle workshops, which are being held in partnership with community group Battle Solar Town, will be taking place 6 – 8pm on Tuesday 17 and Tuesday 24 November at the Battle Memorial Hall (81 High Street, TN33 0AQ).

The Hastings workshops will be taking place 6 – 8pm on Thursday 26 November and Thursday 3 December at Central Hall (6 Bank Buildings, Station Road, TN34 1NG).

Two workshops will be run in each location. The first of the two sessions ('Off-grid solar power for beginners') will explain how off-grid solar works, how to plan your off-grid system, and what materials and tools you’ll need to build it. Participants will also learn about the different components of an off-grid solar system and where to source them from.

The second ('Sizing your off-grid solar system') will explain how to calculate the solar panel, battery, and inverter capacities needed to power the items that will be connected to the system.

Both sessions are being run by Energise Sussex Coast's green handyman, who lives off-grid himself and has been building off-grid workshops for over 20 years – building solar systems to power stages at festivals as well as small solar projects. He is self taught and wants to share the knowledge and skills that he’s learnt along the way.

A previous workshop participant said: 'The workshop made the maths of working out how much equipment you would need really simple to understand. The attendees included someone wanting to put solar panels on their shed, a campsite owner and a guy who wanted to install solar power as his only energy source in a little house in the Caribbean. It went through the different equipment that would be needed, advantages and disadvantages, and the likely costs. I left with a good understanding of how solar power works and the next steps to follow – whether I choose to go off-grid or just supplement my energy supply with solar power.'

Energise Sussex Coast is a local non-profit community benefit society, founded in 2012. It's mission is to act co-operatively to tackle the climate crisis and energy injustice through community-owned renewable power and energy saving schemes. It runs a free Energy Advice service to help local residents bring down the cost of their electricity, gas and water bills: 01424 390 062.

Its sister project, Energise South, has raised community-funding to install solar panels on eleven sites across East Sussex including six schools in Hastings & St Leonards and the community centres in Tilling Green and Pebsham. These installations saved these projects an estimated £62,000 in energy costs last year.

The Eastbourne ECO Action Network was established in 2019, with a mission to help Eastbourne become carbon neutral by 2030.

Battle Solar Town is a community group of Battle residents on a mission to turn Battle into a Solar Town, generating at least 25% of its power through solar panels on public and residential buildings.