State of the Sector
State of the sector 2026
The Community Energy State of the Sector research is the most comprehensive and inclusive review of community energy in the UK. Conducted in collaboration with Community Energy Wales and Community Energy Scotland, this research is essential for understanding and showcasing the scale and impact of the sector.
The new round of data collection is now open. If you are from a community organisation, this is your opportunity to:
- Update your data to ensure it reflects your latest achievements.
- Provide new data if you haven’t participated before.
The process is quick and easy via our dedicated portal, and your contributions will directly support the growth and recognition of community energy across the UK.
If you are not from a community organisation but work with community organisations, please let them know about the 2026 State of the Sector.
providing data
Our data portal allows community energy organisations to provide data.
If your organisation has not used the portal before, please contact us and request to create an account for your organisation. Once you’re registered, you can add new users from your organisation.
The portal remains open, through out the year, allowing community energy organisations to add any new or altered sites of activity as they become active.
What is State of the sector?
The Community Energy State of the Sector research provides the most comprehensive and inclusive review of community energy in the UK, in collaboration with Community Energy Wales and Community Energy Scotland.
Why your data matters
Having access to accurate, up-to-date data is vital for:
- Ensuring we are all able to speak with authority about what the UK’s community energy sector looks like today.
- Enabling stakeholders and policymakers to understand what the sector delivers and the effectiveness of policy programmes, such as the Local Power Plan.
- Encouraging investment and bringing about supportive policies that empower community energy initiatives.
The State of the Sector report and the National Map rely on your contributions to provide the evidence base that strengthens the sector’s voice and influence.
The UK State of the Sector 2026 is sponsored by SP Energy Networks and has been developed alongside additional regional community energy research reports on behalf of SP Energy Networks and National Grid Electricity Distribution.
A huge thank you to all the community energy organisations who submitted their data and helped spread the word about the importance of this research. Your contributions are vital to building a strong and accurate picture of the sector.
previous outputs from state of the sector researsh
Previous outputs
State of the Sector 2025
The 2025 edition of our flagship report is now available
This report looks at community energy activity across the UK during 2024. The Community Energy Fund was open but very few projects benefitting from CEF funding will have installed during 2024. We hope that subsequent reports will show that “the biggest expansion of support for community energy in history” which the government has promised has resulted in the sector returning to doubling in size every year, which is necessary to achieve the governments ambitious targets.
We encourage you to share the 2025 report with your members and investors and with your MPs, local authority contacts and other local stakeholders.
Community Energy State of the Sector 2025
Download (PDF, 5.2MB) Community Energy State of the Sector 2025
England and Northern Ireland Infographic
Download (PDF, 423KB) England and Northern Ireland Infographic
In 2024 we published a scrolling infographic which tells the story of what community energy is, what the sector does and the impacts and benefits it delivers. Keep scrolling and the document shares details about the sector’s progress, potential and challenges, and explains ways of supporting the sector to develop and grow. A wide range of new statistics from the research were used to illustrate the scale and breadth of the sector.
The 2024 UK sector overview provided a summary of the community energy sector in the UK, showing how the sector has developed over 2022 & 2023 and equipped people and organisations within and beyond the sector with key data that demonstrates the scale and impact of the sector.
Thank you to our members and other providers of data for your ongoing support. State of the Sector is generously sponsored by SP Energy Networks – this support is vital for enabling us to conduct the research.
State of the Sector data feeds into our National Community Energy Map, which is a great way to demonstrate the size and scale of our sector across the country.