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What is Dunkelflaute?…
Read more: What is Dunkelflaute?…You may have heard the term Dunkelflaute in the media. It is a German word used to describe a prolonged period of time with little wind and sunshine (translated as “dull weather”). Days with cloudy skies with low wind can be serious for an energy system heavily reliant on wind…
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Should GMCR install batteries at our sites?
Read more: Should GMCR install batteries at our sites?GMCR currently offers schools and community centres hosting our panels clean electricity at a discounted rate compared to their main supplier. When the solar array is generating, the school has first call on the solar electricity, but if they don’t need electricity at that moment, the electricity is exported and…
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Learning about Energy Local
Read more: Learning about Energy LocalIn 2024, GMCR applied for a grant from the Government’s Community Energy Fund in collaboration with Middleton Community Power to explore the Energy Local model. Who are Middleton Community Power?Middleton Community Power (MCP) is the energy group within Middleton Co-operating, a community wealth building initiative to help keep more of…
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Our message to the government
Read more: Our message to the governmentAt the recent Labour party conference, our director Ali Abbas had the opportunity to address the delegates about the support we want to see from the government. You can find a copy of his speech below. My name is Ali, and in 2015 I helped to found Greater Manchester Community…
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What are the basics of Community Energy?
Read more: What are the basics of Community Energy?In this blog we will go over some of the big questions surrounding Community Energy by looking at the GMCR model. Perfect for anyone starting out or interested in learning more about it. What is “community energy”? Simply, a group of people (community) coming together to manage and run a…
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Starting out with rooftop solar
Read more: Starting out with rooftop solarWhen Greater Manchester Community Renewables (GMCR) was formed, we chose to start out with rooftop solar. We live in a large urban area, so there were many more opportunities for rooftop solar than ground mounted solar or wind, and the technology was more straightforward to deliver than micro-hydro power. When…
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June 2024 News
Read more: June 2024 NewsWellington School celebration event On Thursday 18th April, Wellington School hosted an event to celebrate the successful installation of our new 388 kWp solar array. The new “rooftop powerstation” was made possible by GMCR and of course the wonderful community who have invested over £350,000 to make the project a…
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February 2024 news
Read more: February 2024 newsWe hope you’re keeping well, have had a good start to the year, and are starting to enjoy the slightly longer and lighter days. We have some bits to update you on since our last newsletter. Our solar panels and our volunteers have still been working away during the colder…
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Press release: Solar array at Wellington School completed!
Read more: Press release: Solar array at Wellington School completed!Following a community share offer in summer 2023, local social enterprise Greater Manchester Community Renewables (GMCR) has installed the largest community-owned solar array in Greater Manchester at Wellington School in Timperley. On World Environment Day 2023 (5 June) a share offer was launched with the aim of raising £350,000 in…
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Winter 2023 News
Read more: Winter 2023 NewsWe hope you’re keeping well and are feeling reasonably festive, though days are a little shorter and darker at the moment. We have some bits to update you on since our last newsletter. Our solar panels and our volunteers have all been busy and productive during the summer! Share Offer…
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Share offer – 15 July update
Read more: Share offer – 15 July updateAs you may be aware, the closing date for our share offer is tomorrow (Sunday 16 July). We had extended it by a few days while we were waiting for some of the permissions we need and it seems to have come round quickly! We’ve had some good news this…
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GMCR Share Offer – 10 July 2023 update
Read more: GMCR Share Offer – 10 July 2023 updateWe’ve reached a crucial time for our project to install a solar array at Wellington School. We continue to wait for the planning permission, grid connection consent and Department for Education (DfE) approval. We know the relevant authorities are looking at our applications, but we haven’t had their formal responses…