The Energy Learning Network
Rhwydwaith Addysg Ynni
The Network
Our Goals
Why community energy
Events
Resources
The Energy Learning Network is powering forward community energy projects across the UK – helping more groups launch or grow schemes that decarbonise the grid, create resilience, reduce energy bills, and create meaningful benefits for local people.
The network will share learning and support collaboration between communities acting on energy, as well as between the organisations that support them across the UK. We will also bring free insights, resources and connections to existing community energy groups, as well as to communities looking to become involved in local energy projects for the first time. It will create mentoring and peer learning opportunities too.Â
The Network
The network is a collaboration between climate solutions charity Ashden, the Centre for Sustainable Energy, and leading community energy bodies in every UK nation: Community Energy England, Community Energy Scotland, Community Energy Wales and Northern Ireland’s Action Renewables.
Visit the website of your local community energy membership organisation for more resources to help you on your community energy journey. Centre for Sustainable Energy also have a raft of resources and guidance which will help you wherever you are based in the UK.
“Community engagement and consent is essential to achieving the UK’s clean energy goals. Within five years, onshore wind is set to double, and solar to triple – backed by strong public support.
Yet progress stalls when communities are excluded, benefits unfairly distributed, and vocal opposition dominates. For 25 years, Ashden has championed community-led energy solutions that empower people and drive local prosperity.”
Phillip MorrisAshden
Community Energy Scotland is excited to be part of the Energy Learning Network, working to empower community energy groups with the tools, resources, and networks they need to succeed. Our mission is to expand and diversify our membership by supporting new and emerging groups in developing impactful community energy projects. We are committed to building a thriving community energy sector, unlocking its many benefits for communities across Scotland.
Cath CurdCommunity Energy Scotland
“We are really excited to be part of the partnership delivering this network. Community energy is something CSE has been supporting for a long time and is critical for our transition to a green, smart and fair energy system. By partnering with the other ELN partners, we hope to take our support out to new areas of the community energy sector across the UK.”
Megan BlythCentre for Sustainable Energy
“We are looking forward to working with our partners across the UK to help strengthen the community energy sector, giving people more control over their energy resources to make a difference locally. At Community Energy Wales our mission is to build a community-led energy system and through the ELN we will be sharing resources to empower and support the creation of new community energy groups where people will feel the direct benefits of local projects.”
Lydia Godden Energy Learning Network Co-ordinator
Our Goals
Energy Learning Network members are driving rapid progress on community energy in every UK nation.Â
By sparking collaboration and knowledge sharing, the network empowers them to make their activities even more impactful and inclusive.Â
Increase the scale and impact of community energy through collaboration.
We are bringing together organisations around the UK working in and supporting community energy, to share insights and best practice from a broad range of successful initiatives. This includes highlighting how projects can best meet local needs and deliver local value.Â
Make community energy resources more accessible.
We are creating new reports and guides, and promoting existing materials, that help communities take their project from initial idea to delivery. This work will include making sure communities have clear ‘roadmaps’ to develop projects that meet local needs.Â
Spark action in more communities, and make existing projects more inclusive.
The network’s support helps diverse communities across the UK understand how local energy can create benefits for them, and encourages them to get involved for the first time. And we’re helping existing community groups broaden their reach and work in a more inclusive way. With these approaches, the network helps marginalised and disadvantaged communities benefit from the clean energy transition.Â
Secure more funding and create better delivery conditions for the community energy sector.
We will assist partner organisations to grow their capacity to support the sector, and boost their impact and efficiency through collaboration and common approaches. We will identify opportunities to bring new finance into the sector, and to shape the conditions that help schemes thrive and deliver maximum local value. Â
We will bring together leading capacity building organisations to address common barriers and gaps in support in order to facilitate an investible and sustainable pipeline of community energy projects. Â
By also ensuring that skills and knowledge are grown and kept within the local area, we will help to build a more sustainable business model for community organisations.Â
Why charge up community energy?
Community energy is about people and communities taking democratic control over their energy future; generating, owning, using and saving energy in their communities, as well as working together across regions and nations. Projects give people the chance to work with their neighbours to lower bills and reduce energy demand too.
The UK Government has set out its ambition to become a clean energy superpower, with 95% of its electricity generation coming from renewable and nuclear power by 2030.
It also aims to achieve this in a way that gives local people a stake in the transition to net zero, and ensures UK taxpayers, bill payers and communities benefit.
A strong community energy sector can play a huge part in achieving these goals: by delivering locally owned, democratically run energy projects that bring positive change to their local area. Benefits like new work and training opportunities, or action on fuel poverty.
Schemes in the UK already generate 617 GWh of clean energy – enough to power more than 220,000 homes – and have supported householders to make annual savings of nearly £4.5million.
Community energy generates localised and long-term benefits, creating a fairer society and ensuring sustainable and inclusive growth. The community energy sector can also play a crucial role in building public support and acceptance for the rapid changes needed to meet the UK’s 2030 energy target.
Events
The Energy Learning Network delivers UK-wide and country-specific online events to share learning and best practice.
Events primarily support community energy organisations to learn from each other and outside experts who can help them develop their projects. Less frequently, we host events for other key stakeholders – such as local authorities.
By signing up to one of our Energy Learning Network events you are agreeing to our privacy policy. You can view the Energy Learning Network’s privacy policy here. We use your data to stay in touch with you about Energy Learning Network events and activities, and to evaluate the services we provide. We never give your data to third parties.Â
Upcoming events
18 November from 11.00am to 12.00pm
Creating Community Sustainability Hubs
A route for inclusive grassroot action on energy and climate change
As part of the Energy Learning Network, CSE is hosting a webinar with Parisa Wight from Greener & Cleaner about creating Community Sustainability Hubs as a route for genuinely inclusive grassroot action on energy and climate change.
The webinar will introduce the Community Sustainability Hub model and provide practical ideas and advice on how to create a more permanent and prominent community sustainability space in your own area, with the potential for further (free/funded) one-on-one consulting and support.
This is a chance to hear a positive story in challenging times and get the tools to make a lasting difference in your local community and the natural world around you.
About Greener & Cleaner
Since 2022, Greener & Cleaner has been piloting a unique Community Hub model that transforms a prominent, vacant shopping centre unit into a thriving, reliable, and engaging community space.
With over 1,000 visitors a month and additional events and projects out in the community, it’s a place where local people from all walks of life share their skills and knowledge to address social, economic, wellbeing, and environmental needs – all through the lens of sustainability.
This model has been successfully empowering a much broader range of the public to collaborate on a journey that meets their needs and concerns.
Speaker – Parisa Wright
More about The Hub from Greener and Cleaner
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18 November from 2:30pm to 4.00pm
Applying for Planning for Community Energy
Navigating the planning system – tap into the world of planning policy and processes, and hear first hand experiences from our members.
Planning shapes the places we live, work, and enjoy. Ensuring community energy development is sustainable, appropriate and in the public interest, could mean having to apply for planning permission from the local authority.
Join us at the Energy Learning Network to develop a sound understanding of planning policies, to find out when planning is needed for community energy projects, and what to expect going through the planning process.
We will be joined by members presenting their own community planning application experiences, including engagement with the wider community.
The speakers will also be available during the event for questions and discussion.
Speakers include:
Anne Krippler – Planning & Projects Officer at Planning Aid Scotland, an educational chairty and social enterprise that supports communities and individuals with planning advice, training and engagement.
Calum MacDonald of Point & Sandwick Trust, Isle of Lewis, demonstrating how the Trust overcame an objection to its battery storage project during the pre-planning stage.
Tom Skinner of Islay Energy Trust, going through the paces of the Trust’s application process for the community solar array.
Pre-event questions
Please send through your planning questions for Planning Aid Scotland to cath.curd@communityenergy.scot by Wednesday 12 November.
Important note: Planning Aid Scotland can only speak and advise about processes, legislation and policy. They cannot comment on specific planning applications or decisions taken by planning officers.
Your questions for the community trusts will be raised at the event.
Past events
4 November 10:30am -12:00pm
Delivering energy advice in the community
Community organisations are well placed to provide trusted information and advice on energy in the community to support local residents to reduce their energy bills and carbon emissions in their homes. This session will introduce why community-led energy advice and support is needed to tackle barriers to engagement, and support underserved and fuel poor communities as well as able-to-pay households. The session will cover examples of energy advice activities, considerations and challenges to be aware of and options for funding and support. We will also hear from two guest speakers about their experiences of providing energy advice in their communities:
Rhian Williams from Y Dref Werdd
As a third sector organisation in North Wales, Y Dref Werdd has been around for about ten years. It started as an environmental organisation, trying to get volunteers to go out and help tackle invasive species, but it was clear that the community weren’t going to volunteer, if they didn’t have a warm home and food on the table. Here is where they tackled food and fuel poverty, and became a drop-in hub for help with everything to make people more energy efficient, and helping with bills, benefits and all kinds of wellbeing.
Wendy Clegg from Sustainable Clevedon
Wendy is a member of Sustainable Clevedon, a local group working together to make Clevedon a confident, thriving and self-reliant community. Since 2018, she has also worked with the Clevedon Emergency Working Group, attached to Clevedon Town Council and now developed into Clevedon’s Climate and Nature Partnership. This has involved developing Energy days, Green Open Homes, training sessions, Great Big Green Week events, putting up displays at their local library and running a stall at their local weekly market, giving away draught proofing and talking to the community. She is also a Climate Ambassador for the Women’s Institute, which involves passing on information to her group and others and also working in the local community.
This session will be followed by a reflective session on 2nd December. Attendees will be given registration details for this after the session.
9 September 10:30am – 12:00pm
Making your community building more energy efficient
Making your building more energy efficient can help tackle the climate crisis, as well as save money, and create a comfortable environment. It’s a great way to get started on acting on energy and can showcase good practice for users of your building, supporting them in turn to make changes in their own homes.
This session is aimed at community organisations from the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sector that are interested in making their buildings more energy efficient. This session will cover the basics of what is meant by energy efficiency, and what are the options for community organisations, key considerations and where to find support and funding. We will be joined by two guest speakers to tell us about their experiences of retrofitting community buildings:
Tom Lusink from Raasay Carbon Neutral Island
Tom works for the Raasay Development Trust on the island of Raasay in Scotland. Working on an island with fewer than 200 people, supporting the community towards net zero has been a role he’s valued deeply over the past few years. As part of the Carbon Neutral Islands project to make the island net-zero by 2040, he serves the community in ways that align climate action goals with local needs. All their projects originate from the community itself, and his recent focus has been delivering these varied initiatives, from social housing and community building energy retrofits to habitat restoration. This community-led approach has shown him how meaningful progress happens when people drive their own climate action path.
Sue Collins from Caxton House Community Centre
Sue is the Finance & Office Manager for Caxton House Community Centre in North London. She has been involved with Caxton House since the early 1990s initially as a Charity Trustee and since 2007 as a staff member. Over the past three years, they have been working to decarbonise and retrofit their purpose built 1970s community centre in partnership with Power Up North London. Sue will be sharing their progress and successes to date, their plans for the next stage of this work, and some of the challenges they have faced. Here you can read the Decarbonising Caxton House – Lessons Learnt report.
This session will be followed by a reflective session on 7th October. Attendees will be given registration details for this after the session.
10 September 2:00pm – 4:00pm
How local authorities can work with community groups to encourage retrofit
Objectives  Local authority participants understand: Â
- How can community organisations enable retrofit by residents that are not eligible for government grants Â
- How to support community groups to build retrofit servicesÂ
 Event description  Reducing home energy use helps tackle fuel poverty and cuts carbon emissions. Councils have a major role to play in delivering home energy efficiency programmes but have limited resources to do so. There is a real opportunity to work more closely with communities to encourage and support residents to upgrade their homes. This event, delivered by the Energy Learning Network, is the third in our series designed for councils. It focuses on how community energy organisations can support and encourage home retrofit among residents who aren’t eligible for government grants.  We’ll hear from several community-led initiatives from across England and Wales, including those working in close partnership with their councils.    Speakers include:  Justin Bear, Project Manager at Plymouth Energy Community, on their Future Fit retrofit advice service.  Emily Green, Oxford City Council, and Dale Hoyland, Oxfordshire County Council on working with community groups to support retrofit.  Dewi Williams, Cartrefi Clyd, on the retrofit service they offer across Wales  Rob Hargraves, Energy Systems Catapult and Anthony Dean, York City Council on YorEnergy, the York Retrofit One-Stop-Shop  This event is part of a series of three workshops for councils across the UK to build capacity in working with community energy groups on home energy demand reduction projects.Â
16 September 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Building a business case for community energy generation projects – wind and solar
This 2 webinar will share best practice and learning relating to developing a business case for community wind and solar projects.  Topics will include selling exported power and getting the right price for it; and options for getting the right debt costs. Speakers include:Â
- Jake Burnyeat from Communities for Renewables – Why a business case matters and principles of building a good business caseÂ
- Brighton Energy – solar on large commercial roofs (tbc)Â
- Connie Duxbury from Croydon Community Energy – smaller rooftop solar schemes –Â
- Chris Grainger/Gavin Steven from Arran Community Renewables – solar farms –Â
- Allan Wilson from Radio City Association – onshore wind
Resources
Discover useful resources created with Energy Learning Network funding.
Energy Learning Network mentoring handbook
A guide to being an ELN mentor.
Download English
Download Welsh
The case for community energy
Understanding the added value of a community energy approach and why support for community energy is vital for the success of the UK’s transition to net zero.
Community Energy in Action: Demonstrating the value of community-led solutions to net zero
The energy transition is not just about infrastructure and technology – it is about people, fairness, and building a future where everyone benefits. Community energy is one of the most effective ways to ensure that decarbonisation strengthens communities rather than leaving them behind.
A guide to evidencing the impact of community energy
Community energy organisations play a vital role in shaping a more sustainable, fair,and locally driven energy future. But how can you effectively demonstrate the realdifference your work makes?
The Value of Community Energy: a digest of supporting evidence for the Energy Learning Network
This document, produced by Saskya Huggins on behalf of the Energy Learning Network, it supports our full report on the social, economic and environmental value of a community energy approach.
South West Net Zero Hub Community Energy film
A South West Net Zero Hub video explaining the benefits of getting involved in Community Energy projects and encouraging applications to the Great British Energy Community Fund.
Partnering to secure funding
Discover how Three Rivers District Council (TRDC) and Grand Union Community Energy (GUCE) have developed a partnership approach to delivering local climate action that makes best use of each organisation’s strengths, demonstrating an effective model for similar collaborations across the UK.
Download English
Download Welsh
Running a Community Energy Fund
This case study looks at the London Borough of Southwark’s £400k community energy fund.
Download English
Download Welsh
Our series of recorded webinars
Intro to Community Action on Energy
Hosted by Centre for Sustainable Energy
Heat Networks
Hosted by Ashden
Social value
Hosted by Ashden
State of the Sector report
Hosted by Ashden
Community Domestic Retrofitting
Hosted by Community Energy Scotland
Community Carbon Auditing Webinar
Hosted by Community Energy Scotland
Community Shared Ownership
Hosted by Community Energy Scotland
Governance
Hosted by Ashden
Long term finance and new energy generation viability
Hosted by Community Energy Scotland
Attract investors and funders to your £150k+ community energy project
Hosted by Community Energy Scotland
Raising finance with investors looking for values-driven community projects
Hosted by Community Energy Scotland
Community benefit funds: opportunities and challenges
Hosted by Community Energy Scotland
Community Energy Connect Showcase
Hosted by Community Energy England
Making your community building more energy efficient
Hosted by Centre for Sustainable Energy
Making a business case for community energy projects – solar and wind
Hosted by Ashden
Resources for community energy
A comprehensive list of community energy guidance split into topics including project management, project finance, grid connection, technology, stakeholder engagement, community buildings and shared ownership.
Further resources can be found on our partner websites:
Community Energy Wales | Resources
Community Energy Wales | Adnoddau
A Climate Action Fund project
It’s made possible by four years of funding, totaling £1.5 million, from the National Lottery Community Fund.
This grant comes from the Climate Action Fund, a £100 million commitment over 10 years from The National Lottery Community Fund to support communities across the UK to take action on climate change and involve more people in climate action. This forms part of one of the funder’s four key missions in its 2030 strategy, ‘It starts with community’ – supporting communities to be environmentally sustainable.