Community owned energy breaks that mold. The phrase refers to people owning or participating in projects that produce and/or use renewable energy.
Such projects share several common features, including membership models, which include active participation, tangible benefits for local communities, and decarbonization—to name a few Some.
So what does community owned renewable energy mean, and how does it work? For us, the clue was in the name.
We are a cooperative, which means that in addition to business loans, most of our funding comes from community stock/bond issues. Every one of our 1,500 investor members has an equal say in our campaign, no matter how much they’ve invested.
We pay community benefits from project revenue. To date we have spent over £350,000 on programs and causes of social and environmental value. Let us take you through a quick tour of some of these jobs.
boxing therapy
Back in 2014, when we installed 20 kilowatts of solar on the gym roof, Empire Fighting Chance is a new charity running a school engagement program from their base in Bristol.
They now run the largest non-contact boxing school participation scheme in the UK and have 15 different gyms across the country.
They face huge jobs as the cost of living, pressure on education and health systems – not to mention social anxiety exacerbated by Covid – leave many young people struggling.
Bristol Energy Coop are proud to save the charity over £1,300 a year in their energy bills with our solar installations, taking some of the stress away. This allows the team to focus on disseminating the work they do to support more young people to make positive life decisions.
sunscreen
Our largest solar rooftop project to date, The Bottle Yard 2 Studios (TBY2) is forging a new path for sustainable film and TV production in the UK, allowing audiences to enjoy hit shows like The Deadeye without costing the planet .
Last year, we installed more than 2,300 solar panels on our rooftops – a total of 1 megawatt of electricity to power 250 homes each year.
This could feed renewable energy into the local grid, helping the city meet its net-zero emissions goals.In recognition of the studio’s progressive work and climate goals, the team received the Sustainability Initiative Award in cannes last month.
people power
Our latest investment project involves an amazing community fight back, and BEC is also involved. It started in 2015 when a developer tried to get planning permission for a polluting diesel power plant in Bristol.
With the help of BEC, local campaign group Residents Against Dirty Energy successfully opposed the application. But it’s not over yet.
A year later, the same developer submitted another plan, this time for 48 diesel engines to be installed near a nursery school. They produce as much noise and air pollution as 96 bus engines.
The community rallied again, foiling plans and attempted appeals. Today, with the support of locals, the site hosts another energy source – a new battery storage scheme partially funded by the BEC. We are currently raising additional funds to invest in this important project.
These are inspiring stories, but of course, they’re not enough when you look at the big picture. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change has warned that the world is at a turning point where governments need to set aside national interests to respond to the crisis.
Even for a city like Bristol, which was the first to declare a climate emergency in 2018, speed of change Too slow to meet its 2030 carbon neutrality and climate resilience goals.
So, what can we do? We can act.
look up Community Energy Fortnight See if there is an event near you and spread the word, build your own movement in your own community, if you have the means, Iinvest In community-owned energy projects.
“Community Power can help place citizens and communities at the center of the low-carbon transition,” according to Client Earth. As those in charge let us down, we have a responsibility to lead the way to a livable future.
these authors
Andy O’Brien is co-founder and executive director of Bristol Energy Cooperative (BEC). Marianne Brown is BEC’s Communications Manager.
Bristol Energy Cooperative is a sponsor of Small is the Future, an event organized by the Ecologist and Schumacher Institute in Bristol on Saturday 17 June 2023.
