14th March 2025

On Wednesday, Energy4All's CEO Marna McMillin spoke in the Houses of Parliament as part of an 'Unlocking Community Energy at Scale' enquiry held by the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee. She sat on a panel of experts in community energy alongside Zoë Holliday (Chief Executive Officer, Community Energy Scotland), Jake Burnyeat (Managing Director, Communities for Renewables), and Louise Marix Evans (Strategic Director – Net Zero Terrace Streets, Rossendale Valley Energy).

The panel answered questions regarding what community energy is and how GB Energy could best support it, given it's central importance in the Local Power Plan and GB Energy's role in delivering this.

How Could GB Energy Support Community Energy Effectively?

Numerous interesting points were raised, including what conditions would be worthwhile to make sure that taxpayers money via GB Energy is being used for good purpose - Marna highlighted the need to be selective about which projects to support in order to 'get the most bang for the taxpayers buck'. When a community energy organisation is primarily selling energy to the grid (rather than being used on site), the financial model often doesn't work and the price may need underpinning if they wish to see those projects succeed.

She also highlighted North Lincolnshire Community Energy (NLCE) as an example of how the impact of a community energy scheme can reach far wider than it's members. In less than a year, NLCE saved North Lincolnshire Council £290,000 on their electricity bill, thanks to the members of community-owned solar panels selling their energy for cheaper than market rate on schools and public sector buildings. The council can then spend that money on other services for the community. That is a "measurable benefit", "that is outside of these closed community schemes, but it is a very clear benefit coming from community energy".

We thank Marna for speaking eloquently on behalf of Energy4All, and hope the findings of this committee are used to provide effective and appropriate support to unlock community energy at scale in the coming years.

You can watch the full committee meeting here: Parliamentlive.tv - Energy Security and Net Zero Committee