Argyll and Bute Community Renewables Opportunity Portal (CROP) now up and running, is providing a really successful model of presentation and integration of renewable energy information for use by community groups.
The CROP pages on the Argyll and Bute website takes you to a well thought out process to help communities identify the right project for them.
From CROP Introduction to CROP Basic, CROP Benefits, CROP Support to CROP FAQ, there is plenty of information to get going.
Useful tools on these pages are the matrix which identifies which technologies might be most suited to the community, and the flowchart to help guide communities through the development process which they are considering.
Anaerobic digestion, Wind energy, Biomass, Solar, Heat pumps and Hydro are the main technologies presented, each with their relevant pages.
There is also a comprehensive list of organisations that can help and support, presented in a structured way for easy access. This was very much a result of the CROP consultation, where it became apparent that communities and individuals could get lost in the myriad of advice and guidance on renewable energy already available online.
CROP has succeeded in providing quick access to relevant and reliable information for the reader, whether they are new to the topic or not.