Government sets up Community Energy Fund
Fresh government funding aims to support communities across England to set up local energy projects for new jobs and to improve energy security.
The new £10 million fund will support both urban and rural communities to develop projects from the early autumn, including wind farms and rooftop solar partnerships, as well as battery storage, rural heat networks, electric vehicle charging points, and fuel poverty alleviation schemes.
Surplus cash generated as a result of the schemes can go directly back to the community through funding local projects such as community gardens and youth employment groups, the government said. It hopes the initial funding will help to provide private investment into communities in the future.
The scheme comes after the former Rural Community Energy Fund, expanding the remit to include renewable energy investment for both rural and urban areas.
One such scheme that has received funding to-date is the Congleton Hydro project, which is producing affordable, clean and secure electricity from a local weir – enough to power the equivalent of 60 homes.
Minister for Nuclear and Networks Andrew Bowie said: “Local communities are at the heart of our plans to boost our energy security and grow the economy. The Community Energy Fund for England will empower communities to do just that.
“With it, they’ll be able to drive forward innovative energy projects that will have a lasting positive impact, bringing costs down, building stronger communities, and securing clean energy for generations to come.
“Importantly, these energy projects could expand beyond local areas by attracting further investment from the private sector, in turn inspiring other communities to power their area with energy from England.”
Bob Owen, Chartered Engineer at Congleton Hydro, said: “The Rural Communities Energy Fund (RCEF) has been a real enabler for Dane Vally Community Energy’s Congleton Hydro, helping us to refine the system design and commission additional environmental studies required by the local planning authority.
“The support received from RCEF is just not monetary, their facilitation of advice and assistance from a great range of contacts has been invaluable. The RCEF support also provided us with the opportunity to develop an education activity that focusses on the Sustainability of the Environment and a re-wilding programme—giving Nature a helping hand.
“Further funds from RCEF have enabled us to successfully specify and design the next Hydro Scheme based on another historic Weir in Congleton park and fund the research and the realisation of a Community Solar Scheme—the Community Share Prospectus. Without this incubator funding from RCEF, it is most unlikely that either scheme would have seen the light of day.”
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