Projects awarded GBECF funding
Click on the plus sign for details of some of the projects awarded Great British Energy Community Fund grants 2025 -2026
GBECF Window 2
Project location: South Gloucestershire
Award: £40,000
Objective: A project to develop a community-owned wind turbine.
Tech: Onshore wind
Community benefit:
Project location: South Gloucestershire
Award: £40,000
Objective: A project to develop a community-owned wind turbine in South Gloucestershire.
Award: £40,000
Tech: Onshore wind
Community Benefit:
Project location: Blackawton, Devon
Award: £33,000
Objective: Investigating the potential of a wind turbine (from 1MW to 4MW) capable of providing most of the electricity for the parish.
Tech: Onshore wind
Project location: Cornwall
Award: £12,767
Objective: A feasibility study focusing on a site identified as suitable for vertical ground mount solar PV.
Project location: Cornwall
Award: £39288
Objective: A study to develop over 3 hectares of protected organic cropping, using residual heat from lithium extraction to grow subtropical and other imported crops.
Tech: Geothermal (waste heat from geothermal brines extracted for lithium production)
Project location: Dorset
Award: £40,000
Objective: A study to investigate building a small community wind farm near Dorchester.
Tech: Onshore wind
Project location: Devon
Award: £38, 250
Objective: A feasibility study to investigate re-powering the South Brent Community Energy Society 225kW second-hand wind turbine.
Tech: Onshore wind
Project location: Devon
Award: £40,000
Objective: A project to develop a portfolio of renewable energy projects in North Devon and Torridge
Tech: Wind turbines, ground mount solar PV, rooftop solar PV and heat pump
Project location: Isle of Wight
Award: £25,350
Objective: The SVPP will utilise collective battery storage to participate in the energy flexibility market, providing grid services such as demand response, frequency regulation, and load balancing.This community-driven approach aims to enhance grid stability (variable solar and tidal) while delivering financial benefits to local participants and promote access to technologies that wouldn’t otherwise be affordable.
Tech: Battery storage
Project location: North Somerset
Award: £39,600
Objective: Exploring the feasibility of developing a community-owned wind turbine.
Tech: Onshore wind
Project location: Devon
Award: £40,000.
Objective: A project to develop a community-owned, locally governed energy system for Sheepstor village on Dartmoor, with 25 households, farms/businesses and community buildings.
Tech: Solar PV, Hydropower
Project location: Gloucestershire
Award: £39,979
Objective: A feasibility study to assess a potential ground-source heat solution for a group of 24 properties in the Forest of Dean.
Tech: Heat pump-fed heat network
Project location: Bristol
Award: £55,000
Objective: A project to install community-owned solar arrays on 3 schools owned by Bristol City Council. The combined capacity of the arrays will be approximately 206 kWp, leading to carbon savings of 37.1 tonnes per year.
Tech: Solar PV
Award: £95,000
Objective: A project to develop a community-owned 1MW wind turbine in collaboration with Bigbury Net Zero.
Tech: Onshore wind
GBECF Window 1
Project location: Devon
Award: £40,000
Objective: Community Renewables (CfR) is working with 361 Community Renewables to carry out a feasibility study for a 1-2 wind turbine development near Georgeham Parish, North Devon. The turbine(s) will connect to the Georgeham substation, which serves a population of approximately 2,500 residents. The project will have an installed capacity of up to 2 MW.
Tech: Onshore wind
Community benefit: All surplus revenue reinvested into local carbon‑reduction projects and a sustainable local economy, creating new jobs and volunteering opportunities. A dedicated community benefit fund and discounted local electricity supply will ensure direct financial savings for residents and ongoing investment back into the community.
Project location: Wiltshire
Award: £39,395
Objective: A feasibility study and initial design work for community owned renewable energy assets on a site in Wiltshire.
Tech: Solar PV, Hydropower, Battery Storage
Potential Community Benefit: Surplus income from the project will be distributed through the BWCE Fund to support local initiatives that tackle carbon reduction and fuel poverty, with priority given to community projects closest to the site. The project will also encourage local involvement through a community share offer and will create opportunities for local contractors, specialists, and businesses.
Project location: Cornwall
Award: £40,00
Objective: Feasibility of Cornwall Home Upgrade Hub which aims to provide a comprehensive support mechanism for householders wanting to make energy upgrades.
Tech: Energy Advice
Expected outcome: The aim of this feasibility project is to explore the creation of a retrofit hub, a one-stop shop, to make whole-house retrofit accessible and achievable for households, landlords, and communities across Cornwall. This will have both online and physical elements, bringing together a wide range of retrofit related activities.
Project location: Devon
Award: £37,430
Objective: Biomass Heat Network, Heat Pumps, Heat Network Zoning, Solar PV, Solar Thermal, Battery Storage
Expected outcome: This project seeks to conduct a feasibility study to consider net zero technologies in properties with significant historic architecture challenges.
Community benefit: The project will help secure the long‑term sustainability of key village assets by reducing heating costs, while bringing the community together through shared involvement, volunteer support, and opportunities for local builders and craftspeople. Any surplus will be retained for community use, strengthening partnerships and spreading skills and best practice across the wider network of community groups.
Project location: Somerset
Award: £40,000
Objective: A feasibility study to explore the possibility of installing a community owned wind turbine near Frome, Somerset. The proposed development will consist of 1 or 2 turbines with a total capacity of 1-5 MW.
Tech: Onshore wind
Potential community benefit: FRECo’s model helps reduce energy costs for local households and small businesses by maximising the amount of locally generated energy used in the community, plus exploring options such as PPAs with anchor organisations and Energy Local schemes that connect residents directly to renewable generation. Local people will benefit further through opportunities to invest in the project, a community fund that supports vulnerable households and local initiatives, and increased volunteering, employment, and green‑skills opportunities using local suppliers wherever possible.
Project location: Bath and North East Somerset
Award: £40,000
Objective: This feasibility study will explore the development of a Diocese-wide community energy model, designed to be scalable and replicable across all 55 Dioceses in Britain. The model aim is to make strategic use of church-owned buildings and glebe land for renewable energy generation through a standardised, repeatable approach.
Tech: PV and potentially others
Potential Community Benefit: The project could reduce energy costs by up to 30% for parishes, schools and local communities, saving approx. £200,000 annually which can be reinvested into local mission, outreach, and sustainability initiatives. The Diocese of Bath & Wells has over 550 churches, 182 schools and numerous community buildings. While this area serves as the pilot, the model is designed to be rolled out across all 55 Dioceses in Britain, potentially benefiting thousands of communities nationwide.
Project location: Bath and North East Somerset Council
Award: £40,000
Objective: A detailed feasibility study and initial design work for a significant solar panel installation at the Royal United Hospital (RUH)
Tech: Solar PV
Expected outcome: To pave the way for a collaborative capital investment with Bath & West Community Energy (BWCE), aiming to equip at least three hospital rooftops with solar power.
Project location: Devon County Council
Award: £40,000
Objective: This project seeks to develop a 1 MW EWT DW61 onshore wind turbine, at Baddaford Farm, located in between Buckfastleigh and Landscove. 50% will be owned by a consortium chaired by the landowner, and 50% will be community-owned by TRESOC.
Tech: Onshore Wind
Community benefit: The turbine will be 50% community‑owned, giving local residents priority access to investment returns. One third of the generation will be supplied to Riverford Organics at a discounted rate, helping to keep veg boxes affordable for local customers. Surplus generation will be sold through Energy Local Buckfastleigh, enabling up to 2,793 nearby households to benefit from cheaper renewable electricity, directly supporting those in fuel poverty. Additional community value will come through a proposed parish‑managed fund, local job creation, and expanded education and volunteering opportunities linked to the project.
Project location: Wiltshire
Award: £99,875
Objective: Development of joint venture project for community ownership of a part of Red Barn Solar Farm in Wiltshire.
Tech: Solar PV
Expected outcome: Zero North Wiltshire (ZNW), together with Bath and West Community Energy (BWCE), plan to purchase ca.10 MW of a 40 MW ground mounted solar array developed by Eden Renewables. The ownership and share of community benefit of the project will be shared up to 50:50 between ZNW and BWCE.