Sharing the benefits of green energy at former Durham Miners Hall 

A MAJOR two-day conference in Durham has brought communities together to learn about the growing importance of clean energy to the North East and how everyone can benefit from it.

The Energy Days event, organised by the Durham Energy Institute, explored ways of involving people across the generations and across society in support of a transition to a fossil-free future. 

It attracted leading politicians and academics who gave keynote talks and speeches on the jobs and opportunities in the making.

But host, Professor Simone Abrams, said the main goal of Energy Days was to find ways to interest and excite people about renewable energy that could transform lives and breathe fresh life into deindustrialised communities across the region.

“It’s sad to see people being told that society’s switch to clean energy is not for them, because it absolutely is for them,” she said. “People don’t need to miss out.

“It’s on all of us to make sure the benefits are equally well shared out.

“It might not seem relevant to many people in their daily lives but the bottom line is that life will be much better for everyone as renewables grow, so let’s tap into those benefits.”

Appropriately, the event was held at Redhills, the former Durham Miners’ Hall, known locally as the ‘Pitman’s Parliament’, which itself has undergone a renewable energy transition and is now powered by ground source heat pumps.

Stockton MP, Chris McDonald, who has strong family connections to the mining community, and who was recently appointed Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero), said: “The miners’ motto is: ‘The Past We Inherit, The Future We Build’, and that couldn’t be truer when it comes to benefiting from clean energy.

“It’s a future we’ve got to run towards because there will be benefits all the way across the North East.

“In the old days, industrial communities enjoyed reliable jobs but they tended to be grouped in clusters. Clean energy jobs will be spread all the way across the North East with lots of different trades and the opportunity to bring a whole new generation of apprentices through in good, well-paid green energy jobs.”

The conference, on the 40th anniversary of the Miners’ Strike which signalled the death knell of the coal industry, brought together researchers, artists, community members, industry leaders, writers and authors.

They celebrated the resilience and pride that have sustained Durham’s coalfield communities and looked at ways in which those communities might look positively at building a new future and a new narrative.

Meanwhile, pupils from Prince Bishops Primary School in Bishop Auckland took part in a wind turbine workshop to build the most efficient turbine, competing against each other to see which one generated the most renewable energy.

The conference was geared towards showing that while the region has a fabled mining past, it potentially stands on the brink of a golden, green future.

“The Durham coalfield once powered a nation,” reflected Professor Abrams. “Today, though, it holds untapped potential in the form of geothermal energy from flooded mine workings and valuable minerals in minewater.

“The conference showcased cutting-edge research, including up-to-the-minute knowledge on creating clean energy solutions, which would make our area a leader in the transition to a post-carbon economy.

“It was great to see that message being spread, and people talking about ways to help communities see the North East see the potential opportunities in front of them.

“It’s a message of hope for everyone and when people can see that, it can really give them a lift and make them more optimistic about their lives and their communities.

“It’s going to bring new jobs and new opportunities and we want to involve everyone in seizing on to that.”