AS the SNJ begins its ‘We’re Backing Stroud’ feature, we take a look back at Ecotricity founder Dale Vince’s early days, pictured securing a partnership with Stroud District Council in 1997.

Light bulbs at Ebley Mill would be powered by rubbish after SDC agreed to a national first.

On Tuesday, April 1 1997 the SDC became the first council in the country to buy renewable energy from a local power source via a local supplier and said the decision meant they were boosting the local economy.

They would now buy their power from the Stroud-based Renewable Energy Company which distributed it from methane gas-electricity converters based at landfill sites in Cheltenham and Gloucester.

“The appointment of the Renewable Energy Company to supply electricity confirms our strong support for employing local companies, when appropriate, as well as using environmentally-friendly energy sources,” said the chairman of the council’s resources committee, Cllr Trevor Baker (Lab, Stonehouse).

“The letting of this contract is estimated to save £40,000 during the medium-term financial plan,” he said.

In 1996 the council became the first in the country to buy its power from a renewable energy source, when it signed up to SWEB’s Green Electron scheme which supplied power produced at a monastery in Devon.

From April 1997 domestic households would be able to buy their electricity from the Renewable Energy Company, based in the same office as Western Windpower., which erected the wind turbine at Nympsfield in December 1996, although the power the turbine produces is sold straight to the national grid.

“We are pleased to be working with Stroud District Council,” said company spokesman Karen Lane.

“Our tender clearly demonstrated that keeping both the generation and supply of power within the local area makes both sound economic and environmental sense, by avoiding transportation costs and associated losses.”

District council chairman Cllr Margaret Nolder added: “The council collects some 30,000 tonnes of refuse each year which is sends to local landfill sites.

“By utilising some of this waste to generate electricity, it will have a less damaging effect on the environment, which is good for all of us.”