Energy in Your Community helps you explore the possibilities offered by community-owned renewable energy. If you’re new to the idea, you can find out what community energy is and learn how other communities have made it work.
We can talk through every stage of the journey, from first conversations about community-owned energy through to securing support for technical feasibility studies. Exploring an idea does not mean a project will go ahead. Before any project could proceed, there would need to be further technical assessment, community engagement and relevant permissions.
We guide you through a knowledge sharing journey of workshops, meetings and surveys, helping you understand what happens next and whether renewable energy opportunities could be suitable for your area.
At every stage, communities play a central role in shaping decisions about whether and how community-owned renewable energy could be developed in their area.
- Communities help shape the decisions that matter locally
- Communities choose how any future benefits could be invested in their area.
Why community energy?
Community-owned projects aren’t like commercial energy projects, they're different:
- Transparent and community-led
You make the decisions. - Tailored to your priorities
Every conversation reflects what matters most in your area. - Profits reinvested locally
Surplus funds support community projects. - Delivering community benefits
Funding local initiatives, improving sustainability, and creating social impact. - Owned by the community
The power (and the benefit) stays in your hands.
How we can help
We’ll help you turn good ideas into real, deliverable projects by providing:
- Clear, accessible information
You don’t need to be an expert. - Expert support
From first ideas through to securing funding for feasibility studies and technical assessment. - Funding guidance
We’ll help you find and apply for the right grants. - Careful studies
Every project considers local heritage and wildlife.
We help communities access information, explore opportunities and challenges, and make informed decisions about community-owned renewable energy.
Your journey
You don’t need to figure everything out at once. We’ll walk you through a clear, step-by-step journey:
- First conversations
Meeting with local parish councils and climate groups - Community workshops and surveys
Exploring what's possible and making sure every voice is heard - Applying for funding to cover further investigations
If your community chooses to find out more, we can help you get the technical information you'll need, to see if there's anywhere in your area that's suitable for renewable power generation
Our commitment to you
Energy in Your Community projects create space for everyone to be heard and move forward together. We care about what makes your area special, and we can help you build clean energy projects that benefit your community for generations to come.
Communities we’re already working with
Energy in Your Community is currently focusing on communities in Bath and North East Somerset.
The project builds on earlier engagement carried out in 2022, when several communities took part in initial workshops exploring local priorities and opportunities for renewable energy. You can read a summary of the discussions, ideas, and insights that emerged from those workshops in our 2022 Renewable Energy Conversation Findings report.
We are currently working with the following communities:
- Peasedown, Wellow and Shoscombe
- Stowey Sutton and East and West Harptree (project page coming soon)
- Twerton and Whiteway (project page coming soon)
- Radstock and Westfield (project page coming soon)
If you live in one of the areas we're talking with and would like to get involved, email us at Community_Energy@bathnes.gov.uk.
Get involved
Even if your area hasn't started its own community energy journey of discovery yet, you can still keep in touch with what we're doing and have your say:
- Join events and workshops, share your views and help shape decisions.
- Sign up to the Community Energy Network newsletter, and stay up to date with opportunities near you.