The power of our sector is that it puts emphasis on local identity. Each project is shaped through the knowledge and needs of nearby residents, not the shareholders of commercial companies. South Gloucestershire, like so many places, is made up of multiple communities with unique identities, some of which are represented by hyper local community energy groups who know the character of their home area very well. However, smaller hyper-local groups can miss out on advantages that come with scale, including better access to grants, advice and skills.
That’s why South Gloucestershire Community Energy Network (SGCEN) started back in 2025. The network was initially hosted by Bristol Energy Cooperative with funding from the West of England Combined Authority.
Working together
“We currently have five member groups, they are focussed on energy, nature and climate action,” said co-founder Emilia Melville.
Their three aims are to create community-owned renewable energy generation; give home energy savings advice; and develop a way to share ideas and resources among their members and the region.
As a rural area, South Glos has a huge renewable energy potential, Emilia said, but people generally want to see smaller projects before bigger ones.
Thinking big
“When we talk about bigger projects like a solar farm or a wind turbine often the reaction is ‘why are you doing that when you haven’t put solar on the village roof or commercial buildings?’
Those smaller buildings tend to have a generation capacity of around 20kWp, which can be difficult to make work financially. That’s why SGCEN successfully applied for the Megawatt Community Energy Fund in 2026, to develop a viable business model to enable community-owned solar PV installations on village halls and small community buildings across South Glos.
“The aim is to create a model that can help us set out parameters and clear funding needed to help us design projects with local residents,” Emilia said.
Pooling resources and support in this way is what community energy is all about – collective power.
Megawatt fund support
SGCEN also received a grant from the Megawatt Fund in 2025, which supported the Warm for Winter “Train the Trainers” project, which trained a number of climate action and sustainable energy groups across the region so they could provide advice to local residents on energy efficiency measures and how to pursue safer and more sustainable homes.
The grant supports projects which focus on reducing carbon emissions through a variety of different activities, including sustainable transport, food waste, fashion and education. You can read more about the grant here.
