News

CEE’s 2025 highlights

17 December 2025

As we come to the end of 2025, we’re proud to look back on a year full of meaningful events, positive policy progress, and great achievements.

None of this would have been possible without our members. This year, we welcomed 50 new members, growing our nationwide network of community energy organisations and supporters to more than 330. That’s something worth celebrating together.

Here are our highlights:

Events

At the heart of our work is a simple idea: community energy is strongest when people come together. Practitioners, supporters and partners all have a role to play, and creating space for them to connect is how we support our members best.

This year, that sense of togetherness was felt more than ever. Over 1,000 people joined us through our national conference, awards ceremony and online events. Along the way, we worked closely with the Energy Learning Network and many brilliant partners, and learned from expert speakers and contributors from right across the sector.

Our online events told an important story of practical action. We explored how communities can maximise income, put solar on supermarkets and warehouses, work with local authorities through matchmarking, and navigate different ways of financing projects. We also spent time unpacking the Energy Redress and Just Transition Fund, and talking openly about the challenges and opportunities facing community energy today.

One of the highlights of the year was our awards ceremony. We were proud to present 11 awards to members, partners and practitioners, bringing 150 people together for the only annual event dedicated to celebrating and showcasing community energy. It was a chance to pause, applaud inspiring work, and remind ourselves what this sector can achieve. You can read more about the ceremony and this year’s winners here.

Capacity building

We know that growing a strong community energy sector means learning together and building skills for the long term. That’s why we worked with organisations both within and beyond the sector to secure grant funding that helps us do more capacity building and share knowledge more widely.

As the sector moves into an exciting new phase of growth, with increased government support, this funding made a real difference. It allowed us to welcome a new Capacity Building Officer, Faith, to the team. Faith works closely alongside John Taylor, with both roles made possible through these grants.

Together, they are helping to nurture the skills, confidence and capability of the sector through the Energy Learning Network. By supporting learning and collaboration, they are helping turn growing ambition into practical action across community energy.

Policy and advocacy

Behind the scenes, a lot of our work this year was about making sure community energy is heard where decisions are being made. We met regularly with teams from the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero and Great British Energy (GBE), keeping a close focus on one clear goal: making sure the Local Power Plan delivers real, transformational change for community energy. This month, the government published a strategic update on GBE, and you can read the latest here.

We also joined forces with a wide range of coalitions across the energy, climate and social enterprise sectors. By working together, we strengthened the sector’s voice and helped ensure community energy is represented on important national advisory groups and working groups where future policy is shaped.

Throughout 2025, our policy and advocacy team, Duncan Law and Josh Barnes, responded to numerous policy consultations and calls for evidence. In our unique role representing the real-world needs and challenges of community energy, they made sure the sector’s experience and insight were clearly heard. You can read all of our responses here.

There was also a significant step forward for community energy organisations this year. Groups can now apply directly to the Energy Redress Scheme’s main and small grants, opening up funding for projects that tackle fuel poverty and support vulnerable energy users. This change follows years of sustained lobbying by CEE and is a powerful recognition of the vital role community energy plays in supporting local communities.

Finally, working closely with Community Energy Scotland and Community Energy Wales, we published the 2025 UK Community Energy State of the Sector report. The report looks at community energy activity across the UK during 2024 and paints a picture of a sector full of commitment and potential. A big thank you to all our members who took the time to share their data this year.

Comms and campaigning

This year, we took a fresh look at how we show up in the world. We launched a new visual identity and website that better reflect who we are, not just as an organisation, but as a growing movement. The goal was simple: to make sure we continue meeting the needs of our members while supporting a community energy sector that is changing and expanding.

Now more than ever, community energy needs to be visible, positive and influential. Our digital home needs to grow and change with the times too. With both challenges and opportunities ahead, this rebrand and website refresh help us stand out, speak up and create space for collaboration. You can read more about this work here.

Alongside this, Community Energy England and partners launched a new national campaign, Up the Energy. The campaign tells a clear story: every community should be able to benefit from clean, affordable, locally produced energy, and stronger support is needed to make that happen.

We also celebrated Community Energy Fortnight this year, with the theme Invest in community energy, running from 1–14 July. The Fortnight was full of activity, with two events organised by CEE and more than 40 events led by our members and supporters across the country. We were so pleased to see so many people hosting and attending events, and we’re hugely grateful to everyone who took part and helped bring community energy to life.

Looking back, 2025 has been a year of connection, growth, and real progress for community energy. None of it would have been possible without the passion, creativity, and commitment of our members and partners. As we look ahead to 2026, we’re excited to keep learning, growing, and working together to make community energy stronger, fairer, and more impactful than ever. If you are a member or supporter, thank you for being part of this journey – here’s to another great year ahead!