Communities 2.

0 Case Studies
Awel Aman Tawe – draft – February 2011 (version 1)
Author - Mark Smith, Communities 2.0 Senior Marketing Officer

1. Introduction / Background

Communities 2.0 has provided support to Awel Aman Tawe (AAT)

following initial discussions that looked into the organisation’s future
income generation activities, that would help it to become more self-
sufficient through upskilling its workforce.

AAT Project Manager, Dan McCallum wanted to establish how

Communities 2.0 could support his organisation to offer renewable
energy consultancy services on a chargeable basis, to smaller
customers. As a business, Dan has told Communities 2.0 that his
involvement with the project was part of an ‘ongoing journey, across
different projects and priorities’.

The disussions were based on the premise that AAT could provide an
initial survey to customers, to assess whether a particular site was
suitable for the construction of wind turbines; they would then produce
a detailed report to the landowner who could use it for the purpose of a
planning application.

AAT has gained this experience by successfully developing a twin

turbine site in Neath-Port Talbot , through to planning approval stage
and is now in negotiations to finance the turbine’s construction. This is
the first major scale project of its kind in Wales, leading AAT to develop
a high level of specialist expertise.

Its proposal to Communities 2.0, supported by Social Enterprise

Development Officer Dan Jolley, sought to develop the organisation’s
ICT infrastructure, skills, tools and specialist software that would be
necessary to develop a renewable energy consultancy business – a
business that would offer a first-stage report to customers looking to
develop land assets with renewable (wind) power schemes. See
http://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/summer08articles/the-big-sky-
state.html for an insight into the type of software being accessed by
AAT.

2. Host organisation(s) / partnership

Page 1
From its website (http://www.awelamantawe.co.uk):

“AAT is a community energy project which grew out of a community

meeting in 1997. At the meeting, local residents discussed the
problems in the Amman and Upper Swansea Valley area. It was agreed
that a community owned wind farm would be an innovative and
effective method of bringing profits back into the locality through the
sale of electricity.”

High profile exposure for AAT came at the World Summit on

Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, where it was one of six
featured case studies, put forward by the UK Government's
Department for International Development.

The staff at AAT are committed to the future success of the business.
They have been involved at every stage of the organisation’s
involvement with Communities 2.0, including the provision of
information to support the application for assistance. AAT’s board is
looking to move away from grant dependancy and feels that
capitalising on the skills of its staff and current market opportunities,
will enable them to achieve this.

AAT is a small social enterprise in a fairly remote location. It is driven

by the fact that it can add value to the local community, educate
people about climate change and renewable energy; it has the
potential to create high-value jobs in an area that has been affected by
industrial and commercial problems.

3. Package of support

Communities 2.0 has provided £7983.38 financial support to AAT,

which has enabled the social enterprise to purchase the IT equipment
required to take the business forward. The main item purchased was a
piece of specialist, industry-standard software that would support AAT
through the process of researching and compiling reports that would
contribute to the surveying and planning process for future wind farms.
The package of support also covered the costs of training for staff on
specific software applications and training from the developer who
designed AAT’s website, so staff could take over the maintenance and
management of the site.

4. Aims and objectives

Page 2
The aim of AAT, in accessing support from Communities 2.0 was two-
fold:

1. To support AAT towards delivering consultancy

assignments to small, private landowners who have
the potential to develop small-scale renewable energy
schemes on their land. The technology used in such
work would help AAT to produce professional
feasibility reports on a chargeable basis.
2. To potentially create a whole new business stream for
AAT, that would help it to move towards financial
sustainability. This aim was based on staff capitalising
on a highly technical area of expertise, so the
business could market itself as an industry specialist.
This could also lead to AAT providing employment and
work placement opportunities to the local community.

On income generation, it is envisaged that Communities 2.0 support

would enable AAT to deliver an esimated six reports per annum, at
£5600 per report. It is also anticipated that the package of support will
lead to the creation of a new voluntary role, that could become a paid,
full-time role in the near future. The investment will also see AAT train
volunteers on the latest technologies and software and give local
students valuable work experience on renewable energy.

5. Process – ‘how it happens’

According to AAT, the main process for its involvement with

Communities 2.0, ran as follows:

- AAT heard about Communities 2.0 in a WCVA newsletter and

made an enquiry, on the basis that its software was out of
date.
- Meeting held with Dan Jolley, Communities 2.0 Social
Enterprise Development Officer to discuss AAT’s situation and
potential options, as they related to ICT-based capacity
building.
- AAT went through the Communities 2.0 application process, in
an attempt to access financial support.
- A sotware supplier was sourced (ESRI), for provision of the
specialist software that AAT required.
- AAT staff attended training, on how to use the software, that
was hosted by ESRI in London.

Page 3
 - AAT conducted a ‘working test’ of the software on a live
project with a Scottish development trust on a windfarm
project.

In addition, AAT has identified a number of contractors to help

implement the technology, by means of technical support. There is a
group of willing volunteers at AAT that will be trained to use the new
software and to administer the website. Once the newly-acquired
technology has been implemented, the organisation will need ongoing
support from Social Enterprise Development Officers and Circuit Riders
to ensure the business is marketed effectively and that the technology
is used to it's full capability.

6. Achievements / Impact

Assistance from Communities 2.0 has helped AAT to become more

professional and to offer a potentially high-value product to a growing
market, through increased trading activity. The social enterprise is also
working towards sustainability, with training and development for staff
and volunteers to manage and maintain the company website and
make best use of its specialist industry-standard software, which three
people in the organisation can now use. The quality of the reports that
can be generated by the software, are of a standard that is expected
by those who are involved in the decision-making process on planning
applications for renewable energy schemes.

With a relatively small investment, AAT will soon be able to operate

within a niche market, with very little competition in South Wales. The
organisation’s development as a business, through Communities 2.0,
means it can move forward on two fronts – with construction of its own
wind farm and maximising the value of its skills and expertise in the
marketplace. AAT is thought to be offering a unique service in Wales,
as a social enterprise and creating high-value skills in a Communities
First area.

7. Lessons learned

Overall, AAT was pleased with the process that underpinned its
involvement with Communities 2.0 but staff members have learned a
number of lessons during the course of the project. As a small team,
they find it difficult to commit time to attend training courses, so the

Page 4
potential expansion of the project is vital if additional staff are to be
recruited.

With hindsight, AAT would have checked whether the new / upgraded
‘Windfarm’ software was compatible with the amount of memory that
it had on its computers at the point of purchase. They encountered
problems when they first tried to use the software and had to upgrade
the memory on their computers for it to work more smoothly.

They’re unsure when and how to market their consultancy service, due
to other commitments within the business. One lesson that AAT has
learned is based around their need to identify alternative funding
streams (i.e. non-public funding), to help the organisation on State Aid
issues. They might explore the possibility of establishing a training
subsidiary, to help them overcome this issue.

8. Next steps

AAT is approaching a critical stage in its development. By the end of

March 2011, staff members hope to know whether a funding bid has
been successful, which will help them to proceed with construction of
their own wind farm. AAT see this is as being crucial to their credibility,
when attempting to convince their local community, and other
potential investors or clients, that they do valuable work that is worth
paying for.

Dan McCallum told Communities 2.0 that he would like to be in a

position where he can offer AAT’s consultancy service to farmers,
dairies and industrial units. AAT may need to develop a formal
marketing strategy as part of its business plan, to ensure that its
maximising opportunities with potential clients.

Page 5