Council Grant Funds Community Owned Energy in Preston

Preston City Council has approved funding to support a community energy project which will increase the generation of solar energy in the city and address fuel poverty.

Community energy group, Community Energy Preston (CEP), was set up more than a year ago with the aim of finding rooftops suitable for the installation of solar panels, financed and owned by community shareholders.

Using an approach which has been successfully developed by community groups across the UK, the Preston group will invite community investors to buy shares in the scheme which will generate clean, low-cost energy and fund community projects to address fuel poverty.

Supported with a grant from the Preston City Council's cooperative development programme, Advancing a Shared Economy in Preston, the Preston Cooperative Development Network (PCDN) will step in and recruit a project coordinator from the local area with the required expertise.

Paul Taylor, a member of Community Energy Preston, said:

"Community Energy Preston welcomes the council's support with our project and looks forward to working with the PCDN to set up Preston's first community energy business. As local people concerned about climate change, we are committed to increasing the supply of clean, low-cost energy and to helping those facing fuel poverty. Setting up a community energy business is a great way to achieve both these goals."

Community Energy Preston's members, who are all volunteers, have reached out to local colleges, housing associations, businesses and churches to find suitable sites and are close to having the number of rooftops required for the project to stack up financially.

The next step is to bring in professional support to set up the community business, which is a type of cooperative known as a community benefit society, and organise the community share offer, as well as engage a technical partner to check the rooftops are suitable for solar panels.

Councillor Valerie Wise, Cabinet Member for Community Wealth Building at Preston City Council, said:

"Supporting the community energy sector in Preston demonstrates the council's commitment to cleaner, cheaper energy and to sharing the benefits with those in greatest need. The project provides a great example of Community Wealth Building in action - shared ownership of clean energy infrastructure for community benefit."   

Further information

Preston Cooperative Development (PCDN) was formed in 2017 to promote and support the development of cooperatives and similar forms of enterprise in Preston and the surrounding areas. The PCDN received a grant from Open Society Foundation and Preston City Council to support the development of 10 worker cooperatives and offered interested groups advice and initial funding to pay for costs such as registering the coop and developing a business plan.

Find out more about the PCDN by visiting Preston Coop Development Network.