Community Energy in Glasgow 

Throughout COP26, community energy groups from across the UK maintained a strong presence in Glasgow. In events including panel discussions, site visits, marches and an art exhibition, groups used a range of mediums to communicate the best of community energy to the public, key stakeholders and policymakers. Here's a snapshot of what the sector was up to.

  • Glasgow Community Energy & CEE welcome the Lord Provost of Glasgow to a solar installation  - see the Co-op news piece here
  • Plymouth Energy Community and Bristol Energy Network fly the flag for community energy at the Global Day of Action
  • Activists from the sector meet up in the COP26 Blue Zone
  • Barbara Hammond presents on community energy in the COP26 Blue Zone - click here to watch the session
  • Plymouth Energy Community and the Art and Energy Collective combine to present the collaborative exhibition "Moths to a Flame" - click here for the Guardian article about art at COP26

Advocacy Work

CEE's observer status at COP26 gave us access to stakeholders and policymakers and we used this to the fullest. We spoke to MPs, ministers, journalists, civil servants, scientists and NGOs about the importance of community energy in meeting net zero targets and working towards a truly just and democratic transition. We will be following up each and every one of these encounters to build a wider network of support for community energy in England and across the UK.

We are advised that some form of support scheme for community energy may be created from BEIS’ departmental budget, but that this will only happen if community energy is kept high up the Ministers' priority lists by lobbying from MPs and other sources. So please write to your MP to urge them to support community energy as essential to achieving net zero and delivering multiple co-benefits.

Regional Action 

We also focused on bringing community energy groups into local action. For many, an international conference in Glasgow is not the natural environment for their work. Reaching out into communities and building local networks is hugely important work. We saw members engaged in the COP26 Regional Roadshows in the South West and South East. Below is a picture from Tamar Energy Fest, hosted by Tamar Energy Community - read more here. 

Sector Stories

As part of our COP26 Legacy, we've been encouraging members to submit case studies to the Carbon Copy platform. These can then be shared and help to inspire other groups, share learnings from projects and showcase the best that community energy has to offer. Those collected so far from CEE members and beyond are below - to submit yours visit the Carbon Copy website here.

Osney Lock Hydro
Westmill Wind & Solar Co-ops
Brighton energy Co-op
Trent Basin Community Energy
Burneside Community Energy
Keep Warm Keep Well
Glasgow Community Energy
Birch Vale Community Energy
Harborough Energy
Exeter Community Energy
Green Valleys CIC
Riding Sunbeams
Harbury Future Energy
People Powered Retrofit