Powering Communities Fund case studies

In partnership with Weston College, Burnham & Weston's vision is to enable young people within their local community deliver a Community Energy Youth Summit. Both partners recognise how important it is to listen to young people as they have been the demographic that has been most difficult to engage.  This engagement project will enable the partnership to  both see and hear what opportunities are needed locally for community energy youth support.

Isles of Scilly Community Venture are looking to engage local young people to grow awareness about where energy comes from on the their islands. The youth engagement team will be running a series of workshops with local school children discussing the sources of electricity, and the sustainability of the energy sources of local transport.  This engagement initiative will introduce them to the ways they can measure this with the data they have available. The school children will be invited to unleash their creativity to design exciting digital ways of communicating their ideas. Finally, designs that young people have created in the workshops will be built as real energy projects with live web dashboards. This information will be used to bring wider public engagement about community energy, where energy comes from and proposals as to how it can be further decarbonised.

Cwm Arian Renewable Energy would like to purchase thermal imaging household survey kits. This vitally important equipment will be used by Energy Champions and 3 peer mentors to help CARE expand its ground-breaking work in supporting vulnerable households and energy customers. Getting ready for what could be a devastating winter - with extremely high energy prices being forecast. 

Killington Hydro (Rainepower) have some exciting news to share with their local community. They are setting up and running a much needed local Energy Club. This club will support the local community by linking the generation of the hydro energy with local people thus allowing volunteers and local residents (many elderly and potentially vulnerable) to benefit from a nearby renewable energy source. This vitally important club’s work will be carried out by Energy Local in partnership with the Trustees with the assistance of a project manager

Tamar Energy Community are working with a researcher at Plymouth University on how best to utilise and access substation and domestic meter data. They want to combine this information to help them develop a young person's net zero champions community at each of their solar sites. The funding will allow them to secure SMETS meter data, provide engagement materials and external support for working with young people.

Ynni Ogwen Cyf would like to expand their existing community solar scheme, which provides clean electricity to community owned buildings. The funding will finally allow them to install PV’s and a battery to assist with the site becoming even more self-sufficient.

Working in partnership with:

DEG Cymru Wales

Dyffryn Ogwen

Partneriaeth Ogwen

Repowering London developed ReCreate, an education programme for Y5 Primary school children to teach them about climate change in an age-appropriate and positive way through the art of drama. The grant will help them deliver a ReCreate pilot in a London primary school, with a view to rollout out the scheme to as many schools as possible. To find out more about the ReCreate programme please visit www.repowering.org.uk

The Harbury Future Energy project needed to purchase and erect a wind data monitoring and recording device for them to gain more accurate estimates of potential energy generation.

Southill Community Energy (SCE) requested funds for the purchase and installation of cattle fencing at Southill, to allow conservation grazing on the southern portion of the site.

SELCE is committed to fighting fuel poverty amongst the most vulnerable residents in South East London. They will use the money to produce two films; one explaining how they can support clients struggling to pay their fuel bills and another explaining how to fit light measures.

Awel Aman Tawe wanted to develop an online education resource pack for teachers, youth groups and home educators on renewable energy, co-ops and low carbon solutions to climate change. Where better to invest the Younity Community Power Fund?

Creating opportunities for school leavers and graduates to learn about running an environmental business? That's a cause Younity just had to help. Our Community Energy Fund allowed young people to learn about sustainable energy, whilst being fully paid for seven weeks of full-time work.

Blending sustainable agriculture with solar energy... what could be better? Southill Community Energy wanted to enable sheep grazing within the solar farm, to replace the system of mowing which is carbon intensive and compacts the ground.