Unveiled by the Government, this plan pledges £1 billion to advance community-owned renewable energy, reportedly marking the largest public investment in community energy in UK history.
With an emphasis on enabling every community in the UK to have the opportunity and capacity to own a local energy project and directly share in its benefits, the initiative is a significant move towards a community-driven green transition.
Dorset Community Energy welcomes Government’s £1bn Local Power Plan to support the growth of community-owned renewable energy. (Image: Dorset Community Energy)
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The government plans to achieve this through a combination of grants, loans, advice, expert help, targeted investment. It also proposes action to tackle regulatory and technical barriers, such as giving communities fair access to energy markets.
Furthermore, the plan suggests enhanced collaboration between local authorities and community energy groups via the new Partnership Fund.
Dorset Community Energy is eager to carry on its cooperation with Dorset Council and BCP Council, and to collaborate with Great British Energy to realise the Local Power Plan’s ambitions.
The essence of the plan is to foster shared, local ownership of renewable energy projects, involving communities more than big energy corporations in the shift towards green energy.
Since being established in 2013, Dorset Community Energy has implemented community-owned renewable energy facilities across the county.
Over the past ten years, this not-for-profit social enterprise has executed 30 solar PV setups across schools, hospitals, and community structures—financed through community share investment.
These setups have produced over 8,000 MWh of clean energy, enough to power 2,400 homes, saving nearly £1 million in energy bills for local communities and averting about 2,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.
All extra earnings are reinvested into local initiatives via a community fund.
The Local Power Plan carries real potential to widen the influence of Dorset Community Energy, ensuring the economic advantages of clean energy stay within the community.
Swanage School Sports Centre Installation. (Image: Dorset Community Energy)
This helps to build local wealth, lower bills, fortify local energy resilience, fight against fuel poverty, and reinvest back into the community.
The plan acknowledges the potency of community energy and represents an advancement in addressing long-standing hurdles to community ownership.
If the plan’s ambition is matched by its execution, it could be a notable milestone in how energy is produced, owned, and distributed, leading to more resilient and egalitarian local energy futures.
