Welshpool Town Council to get free electricity thanks to Labour Councillor
Welsh Labour Town Councillor Ben Gwalchmai has announced that Welshpool Town Council offices will soon have solar panels and a battery to help bring down the council’s bills and – in time – grow a Community Wealth Fund.
He has been successful in acquiring grant funding for the project from Carno Wind Farm through Windfall (Mid Wales Community Energy Trust) and has organised this in his ongoing work as the town’s Digital Champion.
“We all know that the climate crisis is causing our weather to change and our environment to suffer. It is both hotter and wetter now, affecting all of us and all of the ways we use energy – this is why I’m delighted that I was successful in my application to Windfall and that the Town Council can lead by example in Welshpool.
This is just the first step in my plan to create a Smart Local Energy System for Welshpool. In time, I aim to have more renewable installations creating electricity that we can sell back to the grid. When they reach a certain level of operation, we can establish a Community Wealth Fund that not only aids in keeping the Town Council running but can be applied to by local groups.
If you’d like to help these installations, please do get in touch with me via Welshpool Town Council.”
In 2025, typical energy bills are still 43% above their winter 2021/22 levels and this massively effects the running of councils. Any renewable installation that brings those costs down is good for councils and good for taxpayers.
