The local energy club being created will cover parts of the HU3 to HU5 postcode areas
Solar panels on a roof – community projects invest in renewable energy projects to then be owned by local people(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
Key grant awards in community energy projects in Hull and Grimsby have been announced. It is part of the biggest public investment in community energy in history.
The publicly owned company Great British Energy has announced its most extensive tranche yet of community energy projects it is funding. Up to £1bn of new funding is being issued to local energy projects across the country.
£34,500 is to go to Power Hull to help create Hull’s first local energy club where members can buy clean, affordable electricity created locally. Grimsby Community Energy will get £100,000 from Great British Energy to invest in a battery storage system.
It comes as Great British Energy and the Government publish the Local Power Plan on February 10. This will aim to address barriers currently holding back many community energy projects, from financial and regulatory, to lack of commercial or technical expertise.
Community-owned energy is the norm in other countries. In Germany, around two-fifths of installed renewable energy generation capacity is citizen-owned.
Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband said: “With the biggest ever investment in community energy in Britain’s history, this government is saying to every local community: we want you to be able to own and control clean energy so the profits flow into your community not simply out to the big energy companies.”
One of the founders and directors of Power Hull, Adam O’Connell, said of the £34,500 Great British Energy funding it is getting: “We’re using the funding to launch Hull’s first local energy club, where members can buy clean, affordable electricity generated right in their area.
“With energy bills and profits at record levels over recent years, we’re building an alternative which keeps money local, tackles fuel poverty, and strengthens communities in Hull. Working with Cooperation Hull, the club will be governed through people’s assemblies, giving locals real control over their energy use while accelerating the transition to clean energy.”
Power Hull is creating Power Plangeo, an energy local club covering an area including much of HU3 and parts of HU4 and HU5 postcodes. This includes Spring Bank West where it meets Princes Avenue, and the entirety of Boulevard.