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The Great Village Green Crusade

Documentary following Red Dwarf actor Robert Llewellyn's campaign to persuade residents of his village to generate their own power through renewable sources.

Documentary following Red Dwarf comic actor and green energy enthusiast Robert Llewellyn's two-year campaign to persuade residents of his idyllic Cotswolds village, Temple Guiting, to generate more of their own power through renewable sources, as a model for helping to wean the nation off imported oil, coal and gas.

Packed with scientific insight and explanation of the latest renewable technology, from Archimedes screws to solar photovoltaic panels, the film follows Robert as he tries to win over his fellow villagers with grand designs of a windmill atop the local hill, a water turbine in the village stream and solar arrays on parish roofs.

Robert takes inspiration from the extraordinarily rapid change in energy supply happening in perhaps the most surprising of locations - Las Vegas. In the neon-drenched gambling capital of the world, a revolution is under way as the city attempts to power itself entirely by renewable electricity in 2017.

Back in the Cotswolds, Robert and the village face a challenge as they find the local electricity grid cannot absorb the extra load from their proposed renewable scheme. Robert seeks out a solution in battery technology, comparing and contrasting the cutting-edge science of lithium-ion and air batteries. Is this technology that Temple Guiting can use? Can Robert's dream become a reality?

1 hour, 30 minutes

Last on

Fri 2 Jun 2017 02:30

Music Played

  • Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

    Red Right Hand

Rural Community Energy Fund

The Rural Community Energy Fund (RCEF), is a Β£15 million programme, jointly funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and managed by WRAP.

It supports rural communities in England to develop renewable energy projects which provide economic and social benefits to the community.

Find out more at

The Hive

Co-operatives UK is the membership body for Britain's thousands of co-operatives and they promote, develop and unite member-owned businesses worth Β£34 billion to the economy.

The Hive is a business support programme from Co-operatives UK and The Co-operative Bank for people wanting to start or grow co-operative or community enterprises.


Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Robert Llewellyn
Executive Producer Russell Barnes
Executive Producer Molly Milton
Director Andy Mosse
Editor Dermot O'Brien
Production Company ClearStory Ltd
Assistant Producer Becky Evans
Production Coordinator Vicki Betihavas
Camera Operator Matt Waddleton
Camera Operator Will Pugh
Camera Operator Tim Platten
Camera Operator Mike Fox
Composer Soundbyte
Narrator Maria McErlane

Broadcasts