Roseland Environment Action Community Team
The death of Richard Cochrane, co-founder and chair of REACT has had a massive impact on the REACT group. As a parish councillor on Gerrans Parish Council Richard set up REACT with fellow local councillors to bring issues of climate change to the attention of those in the community – he sought practical solutions to support and educate our community on issues such as extreme heat, flooding, biodiversity loss and reliance on fossil fuels.
We have lost an advocate of action on climate change, an expert in the field of renewable energies and technologies, and also a friend. Richard’s calm and positive attitude was always to the fore and he chaired our meetings in a friendly and welcoming manner. Richard’s knowledge, and willingness to share his knowledge, will be greatly missed. His work in renewables underpinned the solar scheme on agricultural buildings which REACT launched in March this year. He also worked on the feasibility study for hydroelectricity in Tregony and was writing part of the Climate Action Plan on renewable energy when he died. Richard brought community groups and individuals together – he and a team of volunteers planted 800 trees on his land to create wildlife and nature corridors. He fully supported work on insulation/heat loss surveys that REACT undertake encouraging the group to work with schools and community groups. Richard had contacts across Cornwall in the wider climate action network and was a key speaker on climate issues.
In memory of Richard the REACT group will keep on – do come to our regular meetings or follow us on Facebook – and REACT will work to uphold the legacy of Richard’s work on climate change.
The University of Exeter website has this obituary for Richard Cochrane:
We are deeply saddened to share the news of the death of Professor Richard Cochrane. Richard was well loved by colleagues and students right across the University, particularly in our Department of Engineering (Renewable Energy), where he was for a time Director of Education. His vibrant intelligence, kindness and gracious manner were noted by all.
Richard studied Engineering at Cambridge and went on to found his own company, the Quiet Revolution, developing the helical vertical axis wind turbine he had invented, the first vertical axis design to successfully achieve certification under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme. Seven of these vertical axis wind turbines could be seen during the London 2012 Olympics. He successfully led a module in Renewable Energy at Bath University, and, following this, was delighted to join the University of Exeter in 2013, fulfilling his vocation to teach. His commitment to excellence in education has been demonstrated through his approach focused not only on theory but equally on hands-on experience and real-life projects as demanded by the industry.
Richard’s passion for renewable energy and for protecting the environment was evident in everything he did. He made great contributions to knowledge exchange in the areas of wind, solar, heat pumps and hydro power. He was an inspirational figure and leaves an enduring environmental legacy.
Richard’s voice went far beyond the University. He was often to be heard speaking on the radio, television and was quoted in numerous publications. Richard was generous with his skills and knowledge, supporting his local parish council, helping to establish the Roseland Environment Action Community Team (REACT) and overseeing the planting of 800 trees at his home in Cornwall.
Despite determinedly battling motor neurone disease since 2019, and despite emerging prospects of new treatments arising from research in this area, Richard Cochrane passed away on Thursday 25 May 2023. He is survived by his three beloved children.
Memorial Invitation
The Cochrane family would welcome any of Richard’s colleagues, friends and students to join them in a celebration of his life on Sunday 25th June starting at 3:30pm at Gerrans Parish Memorial Hall. In order to have some idea of numbers, please RSVP to: richsmemory@yahoo.com. Please see memorial invite for further details.
Tributes and messages
The link to the tribute is here: Professor Richard Cochrane | Engineering | University of Exeter