The third annual Community Energy – State of the Sector report shows that 2018 was the toughest year yet for community-owned energy, with new generation capacity falling steeply in comparison to previous years. In 2018 just 7.9 MW of new community energy capacity was installed, including 0.7 MW across four micro hydro schemes and 7.2 MW across 47 new solar sites, compared to 33.5 MW of new community energy capacity in 2017.
Emma Bridge, Chief Executive of Community Energy England, the membership body representing over 200 community energy groups and organisations that support and work with the sector said: “The impact of central Government policy on the Community Energy sector is stark – the removal of subsidies like the Feed-In Tariffs; continued planning restrictions around on-shore wind; and still no Social Investment Tax Relief for those willing to invest in community energy projects have severely impacted the sectors ability to create financially viable energy generation schemes.
‘But Community Energy is about much more than renewable energy generation. Local groups have been resiliently working on new ways to ensure that communities can carry out practical climate action. This year we’ve seen a greater focus on energy efficiency programmes and electric vehicles, as well as schemes investigating flexibility services, demand side response, local energy supply and peer-to-peer (P2P) trading. And we must not forget that community energy schemes even in these difficult circumstances are still generating enough electricity to power 64,000 homes; that’s something we are very proud of.’
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