Today is an exciting day for community energy, as Labour is elected to form our next government. Under recent Conservative governments, lack of investment and political will has held us back.
This could all be about to change. Labour’s Local Power Plan includes a massive £400 million-a-year fund for community energy projects and in their manifesto, Labour committed to local generation for local benefit.
By accelerating the growth of community energy, our carbon emissions would decrease and benefits, like bill savings and revenues, would go directly to local communities. That’s what a just transition looks like.
Over the last decade, we’ve built a community-owned solar power station on Bristol’s rooftops, but we need government policy to enable groups like ours to prosper, by removing barriers.
The sector is still constrained in its ability to develop, resource, and finance projects. There are also limited options for selling electricity to the community through local supply arrangements.
Wider constraints include a de facto ban on onshore wind energy, grid connection challenges, and price distortions that penalise renewable energy.
There are transformative solutions to these systemic issues, like more varied finance options, a removal of the onshore wind ban, and a mandate for community ownership of onshore renewable projects. We also need mechanisms for selling power to communities.
At Bristol Energy Coop, we look forward to working with policymakers and sector partners to ensure that political support for community energy creates a tangible impact in Bristol.
This is a welcome chance to address challenges in our sector so that we can accelerate to net zero and tackle the climate crisis together.
In this new political landscape, now is your chance to be part of the solution. Invest in our share offer and become a member of the coop today: https://www.triodoscrowdfunding.co.uk/invest/bristol-energy-cooperative
