The Dorset Energy Group (DEG), (whose members are drawn from Dorset County Council, all of the Dorset's district councils, Poole and Bournemouth local authorities, and community sector representatives) steered the development of the strategy.

The production of this strategy was a response to the current policy context, but also a response to the urgent need for Dorset to play its part in developing renewable energy sources in order to mitigate climate change.  The strategy is also a response to the economic opportunities for Dorset that could come from harnessing its renewable energy resources.

The focus of the strategy is on the use of renewable energy for meeting the need for electricity and heat in Dorset.  The importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transport is also recognised in the Local Transport Plan 3.  A key action of the strategy was that an energy efficiency strategy and action plan would also be developed.  It was subsequently completed and endorsed in November 2009 by all Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole local authorities and a large number of other stakeholders. 

The renewable energy strategy has four aims, which are to:

• Maximise the potential for local economic benefit and diversification
• Facilitate renewable energy development that is appropriate to Dorset's environment and communities
• Encourage a high degree of community involvement, understanding and benefit from using energy more efficiently and developing Dorset's renewable energy resources
• Enable Dorset to play its part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in line with local, regional, national and international targets

The strategy proposes actions within six priority areas, namely:

• Developing positive planning policies for renewable energy
• Developing biomass energy and renewable energy from waste in Dorset
• Increasing application of sustainable energy in buildings
• Raising awareness and understanding about sustainable energy
• Developing community renewable energy initiatives and exemplars
• Researching and developing new areas for action on sustainable energy

The strategy was finalised in the Spring of 2005 and was endorsed by all the local authorities in Dorset as well as 30 local groups and businesses.  On the back of this, Dorset County Council employed a Renewable Energy Development Officer to facilitate, agree and ultimately establish a revised Dorset Energy Group to co-ordinate and monitor delivery of the key actions over a five year period.

A renewable energy heat resource assessment (PDF, 3Mb) (opens in a new window)  was carried out in tandem with the renewable energy strategy. The work was carried out by CSE and Wardell Armstrong International and identifies areas in Dorset off the mains gas network and looked at opportunities for large scale biomass heating (such as residential new build and glasshouses), combined heat and power from energy crops and forestry residues and centralised anaerobic digestion of farm slurry and food waste.