Community Energy - it's More than Numbers

It’s not possible to capture the whole story with numbers.

Community Energy Wales’ State of the Sector Report gives a breakdown of the impact of the community energy sector in terms of megawatts of clean energy produced, the value of benefits to communities, the number of jobs, the impact on local economies and much more.

It also provides case studies; small snap shots of the inspiring work of community energy businesses, and the effect they are having in their local areas.

It also outlines the challenges the sector faces in expanding what we do.

Community energy is a no brainer.

We all have to use energy. We use it every day to work, keep warm, travel, cook our food, relax and run our businesses. Many have seen following storm Darragh the impact energy has on our day to day lives. It’s part of our how we live every day, and because of this, it’s part of the foundational economy.

However, we pay so much more for our energy than we need to, and the recent price-hikes in our bills have been scandalous.

So much profit from energy leaves the localities from where it is produced. It’s extracted from those communities, often leaving Wales altogether, concentrating in the hands of a small number of multi-national corporations.

It doesn’t need to be this way.

Community energy is not-for-profit, it also offers so much more than profit. By owning or even part owning energy infrastructure assets, communities can get a guaranteed long-term income to fund local priorities (often services that have been the victim of austerity, like the arts or environmental improvements). Communities get to democratically decide on those priorities, because they are in control of their assets. It provides agency and freedom!

If community energy could be expanded to include all communities, not only would people be able to withstand the worst effects of the tightening of public spending budgetary belts, but we would also see a marked improvement in energy resilience and potentially vastly reduced energy bills.

One way to achieve this would be through local energy trading - where local or community energy groups can sell the energy they produce to consumers within a substation area. This reduces costs as well as pressure on the distribution network.

We make the case for local trading in our State of the Sector report, and we outline what needs to change to enable it to happen.

What needs to change in Wales is also outlined. In short, we need new energy legislation for Wales.

Community energy can also overcome local opposition to new energy infrastructure - because people are more likely to be supportive of something that directly benefits and empowers them. We have more on this here: It's the Community, Stupid.

Our report will go live on our website on Tuesday 10th December. If you are interested in community energy, community ownership, or community building, it’s well worth a read.