E4A Co-ops
Energy4All supports 30 community co-ops; 10 solar PV sites, 12 wind sites, 6 hydro sites, 1 biomass site and Energy Prospects.
Solar sites
Glasgow Community Energy
Glasgow Community Energy is the trading name of the Radical Renewable Art & Activism Community Energy Society Ltd – a Community Benefit Society (BenCom) established in 2016 to develop a new community-owned renewable energy co-operative for Glasgow. www.glasgowenergy.coop
Wey Valley Solar Schools Energy Co-operative
Formed in 2011, Wey Valley Solar installed panels on the roofs of six state secondary schools in Surrey. Since then a further four schools have been added to their portfolio. www.weyvalleysolar.co.uk
West Solent Solar Co-operative
Comprising 9372 solar panels, the solar farm is installed on a 12 acre (5 hectare) field near Lymington in Hampshire. Total installed capacity is 2.4MWp – enough to supply about 650 local homes. The site is also managed as a nature reserve. www.westsolentsolar.coop
The Schools’ Energy Co-operative
The Schools’ Energy Co-operative installs community funded solar panel systems on schools free of charge. They now have installations on over 90 schools and other sites across the UK. www.schools-energy-coop.co.uk
Repower Balcome
In 2015 REPOWERBalcombe installed 45kWp of solar photovoltaics at a local farm and two local schools. In 2016, thanks to a £110,000 share offer, solar panels were installed a further two local schools and another followed in 2018. www.repowerbalcombe.com
M&S Energy Society
An exciting new initiative to generate renewable electricity from solar panels installed on M&S stores across the UK. Income from the electricity generated provides a return for investors and funds carbon-saving initiatives in the local community. This project is a first for any major UK retailer. www.mandsenergysociety.com
Reading Community Energy
Reading Community Energy own and operate 20 solar PV systems on roofs in and around Reading, with a combined capacity of 434 kWp energy – enough to power the equivalent of 128 homes each year. www.readingenergy.coop
Energise South
Following a £400,000 share offer in 2019, Energise South Society have installed solar PV panels on five buildings in the Hasting’s area. This includes St Leonards Academy which is one of the largest community owned solar roofs in the United Kingdom. www.energisesouth.coop
Edinburgh Community Solar Co-Operative
Edinburgh Community Solar Co-operative owns and operates 24 solar panel installations throughout Edinburgh. Installations have been done on community buildings such as Edinburgh Council schools, community centres and leisure facilities. www.edinburghsolar.coop
Baywind Energy Co-operative
For almost 20 years, Baywind owned six turbines. Five were decommissioned in 2016, to make way for two new high powered turbines belonging to successor High Winds Community Energy Co-operative. At the end of life of the remaining turbine the site will be taken over by High Winds.www.baywind.coop
Wind sites
Energy Prospects Co-operative
Energy Prospects is a slightly different member of the Energy4All family in that it was created to develop new sites through the planning consent stage and early development. www.energyprospects.coop/
Auchrobert Community Energy Society
Developed and built by Falck Renewables Wind Limited, the site comprises twelve GE 3.2MW wind turbines with a total export capacity of 36MW. The wind farm is expected to produce enough clean energy to power approximately 26,000 homes. Members are projected to receive a 5% return over approximately a 15-year period. www.auchrobert.coop/
Assel Valley Community Renewables
Assel Valley wind farm comprises ten wind turbines each rated 2.5MW. The total installed capacity is 25MW generating approximately 84,000 MWh annually. www.asselvalley.coop
Westmill Wind Farm Co-Operative
Westmill is a working organic farm. The five turbine site was commissioned in 2008. In 2012 a community-owned solar-farm was created on the same site. www.westmill.coop
Spirit of Larnarkshire Wind Energy Co-Operative
Spirit of Lanarkshire purchased a stake in two wind farms in South Lanarkshire in 2013 and 2014 after raising £2.7 million. www.spiritoflanarkshire.coop
Mean Moor Wind Farm
Until early 2020, Mean Moor Wind Farm was owned by three community enterprises; High Winds Community Energy Society, Energy Prospects and Baywind Energy Co-Operative. Following a £5.7 million share offer, Mean Moor will now fall under the ownership of High Winds Community Energy Society.
Kilbraur Wind Energy Co-Operative
In 2008 the co-operative purchased a stake in the Kilbraur wind farm via a share offer in excess of £1 million. A second share offer in 2011 saw the purchase of a further stake in the remaining 8 turbines at the wind farm. The site consists of 27 turbines. www.kilbraur.coop
Isle of Skye Renewables Co-Operative
The Isle of Skye Renewables Co-op purchased a stake in the Ben Aketil wind farm following an initial share offer in 2008, quickly followed by a second offer in 2010. The twelve turbines on site generate enough clean, green energy to supply around 21,000 homes. www.skye.coop
High Winds Community Energy Society
Following a successful share offer in 2015, High Winds raised £4million towards the cost of constructing two wind turbines at Harlock Hill, near Ulverston, Cumbria.
Recently another share offer has raised £5.7 million which will see High Winds become the sole owner of Mean Moor Wind Farm, Ulverston. www.highwinds.coop
Great Glen Energy Co-Operative
Following a successful £1,288,270 share offer in 2008, the Great Glen Energy Co-op purchased a stake in the Millennium wind farm. In 2010, members of the co-op purchased a further stake in the additional turbines which had been constructed since 2008. Today there are 26 x 2.5MW turbines on the site. www.greatglen.coop
Four Winds Energy Co-Operative
Through a community share offer in 2014, Drumlin raised £3.4 million to own a stake in two turbines, one near Duckmanton, and one between Grimethorpe and Cudworth. Both are located on former colliery sites. www.fourwinds.coop
Drumlin Wind Energy Co-operative
Drumlin owns and operates six turbines across Northern Ireland after raising £3.7 million in 2 successful share offers in 2012 and 2014. www.drumlin.coop
Boyndie
Located on the north coast of Aberdeenshire, the wind farm has eight turbines and when it’s operating fully it generates 16.30 MW of electricity. www.boyndie.coop
Hydro and biomass sites
LEG Power Lochaber
LEG Power Lochaber are constructing a new 100% community owned 547kW hydro scheme on land owned by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) at Glenachulish in Lochaber. This is being funded by a £1,880,000 public share offer raised in August 2021. www.legpower.coop
Kinlochbervie Community Energy
Kinlochbervie Community Energy Limited is a new 200kW hydro scheme which is being constructed near Rhiconich, Kinlochbervie. The latest community share offer to complete the project will be launching in Summer 2021. www.hces.coop/kinlochbervie
Springbok Sustainable Wood Heat Co-operative
The co-operative has operated a wood chip fuelled district heating system on the Springbok Estate near Alfold, Surrey since June 2015. Prior to installation of the biomass system the heating was supplied by approximately 20 oil boilers, some of which were quite old and inefficient. www.springbokwoodheat.co.uk/
Highland Community Energy Society
Highland Community Energy Society owns a stake in six hydro projects at numerous sites in the Highlands of Scotland. The latest community share offer raised £1.35 million to claim a stane in four of these sites. www.hces.coop
Arrochar Community Hydro Society
Officially opened in 2018, the hydro scheme is located in Arrochar, on Luss Estates’ land, in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. The build cost was £660K and funds were raised through a community share offer. www.arrocharhydro.coop
Rumbling Bridge Community Hydro Society
Located near the small village of Rumbling Bridge, Kinross Scotland, the hydro turbines began generating clean, green electricity in September 2016. Soon after, the Society were ‘Highly Commended’ in the Rushlight Awards 2017. www.rumblingbridgehydro.coop
RainePower
Following 5 years of research, Rainepower was created as a community benefit society in 2015 by K-SET with the help of Energy4All. After raising funds via a share offer the installation of a 35kW Archimedean screw turbine in the River Lune was completed. www.rainepower.coop
We are proud to have been awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Community Energy Award
