The government has announced a major boost for the community energy sector through GB Energy's new Local Power Plan. The Plan commits up to £1 billion of investment through grants, loans and advice to accelerate the growth of clean power that benefits communities.
Schools' Energy Co-op welcomes the move - we have more than 10 years of experience installing community-owned solar power on school rooftops and we have the evidence to back up its value. Our schools are saving an estimated £400,000 on their energy bills this year, while maximising unused roof space to cut carbon emissions. Community energy schemes have different objectives at their core - many choose to distribute a percentage of their profit in Community Benefit Funding, but in our case we distribute it as dividends straight back to our member schools on top of their energy savings.
GB Energy's pilot scheme, which launched last year and selected around 250 schools across England to have solar panels installed, is due to complete this summer. The Local Power Plan's focus is now on community groups/local authorities rather than schools as direct recipients of grants, but we know that there are still plenty more schools and community buildings that would benefit from solar PV. This is an opportunity for schools, community groups and local authorities to all work in partnership.
As its first step, GB Energy are currently inviting Expressions of Interest to hear from community energy groups and local authorities. The Schools' Energy Co-op will be engaging with the Plan and we encourage any schools or local authorities who are interested in solar panels to get in touch with us about becoming a member. We install solar panels free of charge, and the benefits are genuine: carbon emissions savings, a fair energy rate, and we pay back to our schools in the form of dividends.