Making Community Energy a Reality in West Northamptonshire
An invitation to get involved from Andrew Stevens, Chair of West Northamptonshire Climate and Nature Partnership (WNCAN).
WNCAN are taking the first steps towards setting up a community energy group in West Northamptonshire and are keen to contact other local groups and individuals interested in Community Energy.
Community Energy can be:
- Solar panels on buildings such as schools
- Wind turbines or solar farms
- Energy efficiency initiatives
- Electric vehicle charging
And more....the key is that projects are locally owned, delivering what local people want and keeping profits within the community.
Community energy projects enable local people to unlock opportunities to produce their own renewable energy. This keeps the financial benefits of renewable energy local, reducing carbon emissions, lowering energy bills for schools, community centres and homes, and ploughing profits back into communities.
Great British Energy, set up by the UK Government, has allocated £1 billion to community energy development. Some of this funding could help small businesses and residents in West Northamptonshire make the shift to renewables.
Expert advice is now freely available to community energy groups, including support through the various stages of assessing project viability, fundraising, planning, and managing the project. Organisations offering advice include Community Energy GO and Community Energy Pathways.
Anyone can get involved in a community energy group – enthusiasm and some time commitment is key! However, anyone with a relevant professional technical, finance or legal background would be especially useful in establishing a group.
Please email Andrew to register your interest in getting involved in making Community Energy a reality in West Northamptonshire.
Find out more about Community Energy.
An introduction to community energy (Community Energy GO). A very recent 60 min webinar (if time is tight, the section from 5 to 35 mins, is the 2 main speakers describing impressive examples of CE projects around the country).
A July 2026 interview with the head of a community energy group in the Bath area that has been operating since 2010. https://communityenergyengland.org/news/the-evolution-of-community-energy-and-what-toconsider-when-taking-community-energy-into-the-mainstream/