What is community energy?
Community energy can take many different shapes and sizes. Let's explore what this means...
Community energy turns profits from renewable sources like solar, wind and hydro into revenue streams for communities. It typically involves:
Generating renewable energy (where individuals in a community invest and gain a return).
Offering energy efficiency services
Providing energy savings advice
How it works
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Individuals, like you or I, invest in a renewable energy asset - like a wind turbine.
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We then gain a direct return on our investment.
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Even better than that, any extra profits are placed into a community benefit fund.
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A community energy group (there are over 600 across the UK!) will then decide how that money is best spent. Let's say, it’s on heating people's homes.
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The community benefit fund would then be used to hire people to retrofit homes (by adding insulation and taking thermal camera images).
The more energy generated, the greater the benefits for both the individuals and the community
Why its important
As a country, we’re full steam ahead on transitioning to renewables - that’s amazing! But we need to avoid repeating systems that only benefit a few, leaving others behind.
Community energy shifts power and wealth from big energy companies to local communities. Profits from renewable energy stay local and funds projects that directly benefit the people.
Essentially, community energy is an active resistance against fossil fuels, a shift in power dynamics and is a movement taking strides towards a greener, more equitable world.
Supporting community-owned projects
We support over 300 community energy projects across the country - and yours could be next!