News & insights
Latest announcements, updates and insights of interest to the community energy sector
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Great British Energy announce Community Fund and the new Partnerships Grant
Great British Energy is launching £30 million in funding to kick start a community power revolution, designed to support the growth of community energy and strengthen collaboration between community energy organisations and public sector partners. These are the GBE Community Fund (£20m), the new GBE Partnerships Grant for Local Authorities actively collaborating with their community […] -
DfE draft standardised PPA for school solar could "stop the sector in its tracks"
As part of a Market Engagement process ending on 28 August the Department for Education has published a DRAFT standardised Power Purchase Agreement for solar on schools that will be compulsory once permitting for school solar projects resumes in the Autumn. The standardised lease will be published soon. Initial reactions from members is that, in […] -
Community Energy England welcomes Prime Minister Andy Burnham
Community Energy England (CEE) congratulates Andy Burnham on becoming Prime Minister and welcomes the vision set out in his first speech. The Prime Minister’s commitment to building a new political and economic model that gives people and places more power, invests in people’s success, and enables communities to shape their own futures closely reflects the […] Add your news story
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Community Energy England's response to DfE announcement
The Department for Education (DfE) has announced a pilot procurement programme on 150 schools and colleges to mobilise private finance to install rooftop solar - which community energy has been doing successfully for decades. -
Community Energy England members: get 50% off Co-operatives UK membership with new dual offer
New membership partnership launches at the start of Community Energy Fortnight 2026 to help community energy organisations seize growing opportunities for local power. As Community Energy Fortnight 2026 gets underway, Co-operatives UK and Community Energy England (CEE) have launched a new dual membership offer designed to help community energy organisations grow, collaborate and maximise their […] -
Up the Energy launches Crowdfunder
Up the Energy launches Crowdfunder to scale community energy movement across UK A new national campaign, Up the Energy, has launched a Crowdfunder to help grow the community energy movement and enable more people to take part in building a fairer, cleaner energy system. The campaign is designed to support communities across England to generate […] -
Five Yorkshire-based organisations enrolled in community energy feasibility pilot, funded by York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority
Feasibly has filled all five places on its six-month pilot programme, funded by Mayor David Skaith and the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority. The programme puts the same site screening and grid analysis used by utility-scale developers into the hands of smaller, community-led projects. Councils, community energy groups, faith organisations and consultancies across York […] -
CEE comment on GBE Community Fund and Partnerships Grant
Matt Vickers, Chief Executive of Community Energy England, said in response to the announcement of the GB Energy Community Fund and Partnerships Grant, “Community Energy England welcomes the GBE Community Fund as the first step in the £1bn investment in community energy and local energy in the Local Power Plan. This will enable community enterprises […] -
How Repowering London worked with Alentis Energy to build a single source of truth for all their energy operations
Community Energy England member Repowering London manages 45 solar installations across London with a 1.5MW capacity on behalf of 11 different energy cooperatives. They recently worked with Alentis Energy to track maintenance, centralise all their contracts and documentation, and maintain an equipment register to simplify the management of their rooftop solar portfolio. The Challenge: Tracking […] -
DfE webinar on pilot school PPA project taking place on Tuesday 18 August
The Department for Education has published a market engagement notice on its proposed standardised PPA contract for a pilot project affecting up to 150 schools in Yorkshire and the Humber, the East Midlands and the South East. The Department is holding a webinar on 18 August, 1pm-2pm, which you can register for by emailing them […] -
The evolution of Community Energy, and what to consider when taking Community Energy into the mainstream
BWCE’s Head of Marketing and Communication, Julia O’Connor caught up with Managing Director, Pete Capener, to discuss the evolution of Community Energy, and what to consider when taking Community Energy into the mainstream – see the Q&A below. Q/ Pete you’ve been involved in community energy for many years. Can you reflect on what has […] -
Rooftop solar can help Milton Keynes organisations take control of energy costs as our climate changes
By Milton Keynes Community Energy Community-owned energy offers organisations a practical way to reduce electricity costs, gain greater long-term price certainty and support a more resilient local energy system – all without the upfront investment or maintenance responsibilities normally associated with solar. As hotter summers become more frequent and electricity demand grows, particularly from cooling, […]
