Projects awarded CEF funding
Click on the plus sign for details of the projects awarded funding under the previous Community Energy Fund 2024-2025.
CEF Window 1
Project location: Bath and North East Somerset
Award: £39,966
Objective: To test the local supply model to 100 households on a site which has grid capacity and is located on a primary circuit within the Green Belt. Community benefit for local residents includes discounted electricity prices, fuel poverty and decarbonisation project grants and an opportunity to invest locally with environmental improvement via biodiversity net gain requirements of the development.
Tech: Solar PV (800kWp – Direct Current) low voltage metered supplyT
Expected outcome: The study will produce written pre-planning advice, heads of terms with the landowner, an understanding of a viable Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) strike price and legal advice to enable local energy supply and options and lease.
Project location: Bath & North East Somerset
Award: £40,000
Objective: To trial and understand whether excess spill of renewable energy generation from two existing school rooftop solar arrays can supply electricity to local properties nearby. The supply would be via an Energy Local club with the benefit of cheaper tariffs, thanks to being located on the same primary circuit (licence-exempt local supply rather than third party licenced energy supplier).
Tech: Solar PV powered local energy system
Expected outcome: To understand the balancing, settlement and billing challenges for supplying power to local households and how to overcome them.
Project location: Bath and North East Somerset
Award: £39,953
Objective: To explore the feasibility and business case of a wind and solar farm with export limitation to maximise generation, plus modelling of potential battery storage.
Tech: 6MW solar PV and 5MW wind
Expected outcome: Co-location of solar and wind was unviable because of grid constraints for Solar PV daytime generation. A second, lower voltage option is being investigated with the aim of maximising generation within grid capacity available. CEF Stage 2 funding awarded in Window 4.
Project location: South Gloucestershire
Award: £39,825
Objective: A study to assess the feasibility of connecting 3MW of wind, solar and battery behind a single 1MW rated inverter (DC coupling) to mitigate constraints of connecting to the grid. An Energy Local model is also being explored.
Tech: Wind (1MW) Solar PV (2MW), battery storage (1MWh)
Outcome: Awarded CEF Stage 2 funding to develop the project.
Project location: South Gloucestershire
Award: £39,521
Objective: The study explored the feasibility of creating a community owned solar farm with battery storage. It will also look at the technical options for grid connection to a constrained network and local energy supply (licence exempt buying and selling electricity for generation and consumption on a single primary circuit).
Tech: Solar PV (2MW) with battery storage (1MW)
Expected outcome: To have new community champions, and evidence to develop a community engagement strategy based on the CSE Future Energy Landscape methodology. This sets out to the community the potential benefits of a community owned renewable generation asset, eg discounted electricity, a community benefit fund and 30% biodiversity net gain.
Project location: Somerset
Award: £36,350
Objective: To design a community owned sustainable business model and plan for a retrofit bulk buying and installation scheme to serve households in Highbridge and Burnham on Sea. Whilst there is interest in bulk buying solar PV, the project aims to broaden interest in energy efficiency.
Tech: Retrofit services (insulation, heat, energy generation)
Expected outcome: To gain insights on household demand for retrofit measures, identify educational needs and engagement strategies to guide household and landlord decision-making, understand variables for scalability and identify 15-20 households to take part in a bulk-buying project.
Project location: Dorset
Award: £40,000
Objective: To assess the feasibility of a community owned retrofit service tailored to market towns and rural areas. This will be designed through community engagement, household cost assessments, training, co-ordination of installation works and assessing use of low carbon materials
Tech: Energy efficiency retrofit services for households and community buildings
Expected outcome: By designing a pilot project based in and around the rural location of Bridport, Dorset CE and their partners will understand whether their retrofit model is financially viable, replicable and effective as a route to install energy efficiency measures in domestic and community buildings.
Project location: Devon
Award: £39,667
Objective: To assess the feasibility of locating a solar array on NHS land which will be owned and managed by ECOE, financed by a community share offer and supply electricity to the hospital via a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).
Tech: 3MW ground mount solar array
Expected outcome: The study will create an understanding of potential planning barriers, of balancing electricity generation and consumption to operate within local grid constraints, and legal terms for an NHS-Community Group model covering lease, heads of terms, PPA and land classification restrictions.
Project location: South Gloucestershire
Award: 40k
Objective: A study to explore models of financing, ownership and community benefit for a community-led EV charging Hub using electricity generated by an adjacent solar farm on GWAAC-owned land.
Tech: EV charging infrastructure
Expected outcome: The project applied unsuccessfully for CEF Stage 2. The South West Net Zero Hub has continued to provide further support to the project through its core programme, Project Development. There is space for 18 EV chargers.
Project location: South Gloucestershire
Award: £40k
Objective: To explore models of financing, ownership and community benefit for a solar farm on GWAAC-owned land. Surplus revenue from energy generation will be split between community benefit and supporting GWAAC to reduce their organisation’s carbon emissions.
Tech: 6.5MW solar farm
Expected outcome: GWAAC are proceeding to CEF Stage 2 in partnership with Bristol Energy Co-operative (BEC)
Project location: Bristol and South Glos
Award: £40,000
Objective: To explore the feasibility of aggregating rooftop solar and battery installations on a pilot of 100 homes which would create a virtual power plant. The project will focus on deprived neighbourhoods only, bringing community benefit through reduced electricity bills for households that have barriers to installing energy generation assets, and a neighbourhood climate resilience fund.
Tech: Rooftop Solar PV and batteries in multiple domestic properties
Expected outcome: To identify routes to overcome smart grid, re-distribution and legislative challenges and develop a viable working model that can be presented to investors who have already shown an interest in the pilot project.
Project location: Somerset
Award: £26,377
Objective: To explore the feasibility of providing green, affordable space heating for eight new tenanted properties using a ground source heat network located underneath. The heat pump driving the network would be powered by rooftop solar PV on the properties. Longer term the heat source would be shared with nearby properties providing a wider community resource.
Tech: Solar PV powered heat network
Expected outcome: To understand the feasibility and replicability of rooftop solar powered heat networks in market towns and large villages that can be extended, and whether community share finance is viable for this model.
CEF Window 2
Project location: Wiltshire
Award: £19,200
Objective: To explore the feasibility of increasing the generation capacity of an existing ground mount solar array with further panels and possibly battery storage to potentially supply electricity to 50 local households and different community benefit models eg discounted electricity.
Tech: Solar PV and battery storage
Expected outcome: To obtain pre planning advice for the extension of the solar array and enable the project to move forward in the grid connection queue with the DNO. To scope out landowner consent/lease and to help Nadder to leverage local community investment funding.
Project location: North Somerset
Award: £25,040
Objective: To explore whether a microgrid between rooftop solar arrays on several community buildings with a battery and EV charging would generate sufficient income to create a viable community benefit fund as well as reduce the running costs of community buildings in Backwell.
Tech: Solar PV, battery storage and EV charging points
Expected outcome: To understand if the proposed microgrid arrangement has a viable business case to benefit the community directly through a community benefit fund and indirectly through reduced running costs of the buildings which serve the community.
Project location: South Hams, Devon
Award: 39,534
Objective: To explore the feasibility of creating an energy sharing network using multiple community buildings. The systems options being considered are private wire, virtual power plant and Energy Local supply model (licence-exempt buying and selling electricity for generators and consumers on a single primary circuit).
Tech: Solar PV, heat network, heat pumps, EV charging with EV to grid (V2G)
Expected outcome: The study will provide understanding of which approach is most viable in terms of capital cost, business case and gaining community support. In addition, it will scope out the full range of planning conditions and requirements for the scheme to gain planning permission.
Project location: Gloucester and Wiltshire
Award: £40,000
Objective: To explore the feasibility of a community owned solar farm which sells electricity at a discount via an Energy Local (licence exempt) supply model. The project will also explore the potential for agrivoltaic solutions which integrate regenerative farming with solar energy production.
Tech: Solar PV
Expected outcome: Along with identifying the first site to proceed, the study will produce a landowner agreement, a budgetary connection offer from the DNO and pre-planning advice from the council. It will also help build a pipeline of further community energy sites to develop in the area.
Project location: Cornwall
Award: £40,000
Objective: To explore the best energy generation options for a site of eleven Grade II listed flats to create a District Heating system that also exports surplus electricity to the grid. The project combines microgeneration and shared systems with heritage buildings. Surplus revenue would be disbursed as grants to the community via Looe Town Council.
Tech: Solar PV with heat network
Expected outcome: To have a full technical feasibility assessment of the microgeneration equipment and system design, plus a detailed assessment of export potential to the grid. The study is expected to be replicable across of further complex and difficult to treat sites both in Cornwall and nationally.
CEF Window 3
Project location: Bath and North East Somerset
Award: £39,500
Objective: To explore the feasibility of a community owned hybrid wind-solar-battery site in order to first, maximise the capacity of generation within a constrained electricity network, and second, supply less-intermittent, locally generated electricity to the local community.
Tech: Wind, Solar PV, battery storage and Local Supply via low voltage metered generation
Expected outcome: The study will obtain written pre-planning advice, progress commercial discussions with the landowner, and gain the involvement of local communities in the generation and consumption of their own electricity.
Project location: South Gloucestershire
Award: £40,000
Objective: To investigate the feasibility of partnering with a commercial developer to either co-develop, or to acquire a community owned share of a solar farm.
Tech: Solar PV
Expected outcome: To develop an outline structure for the transaction and set out a budget and path to take the project to financial close. This will include analysis of technical options for operating a split site, community consultation on community ownership and benefit options, and initial legal and financial structuring (eg share, bonds, commercial debt).
Project location: Somerset
Award: £20,375
Objective: To explore the extension of an existing rooftop solar PV array to the adjacent Frome Community Hospital, adding battery storage, EV charging and the installation of heat pumps. The Hospital and the NHS Trust approached FRECO to undertake this study with the aim of maximising the community benefit of the project.
Tech: 200kW Solar PV with battery storage, EV charging and heat pumps
Outcome: The financial model showed that rooftop solar PV generated electricity was the best option given the hospital’s consumption profile. A Heads of Terms agreement between the Hospital and FRECO is due to be finalised with FRECO owning and operating the asset.
Project location: Isles of Scilly
Award: £40,000
Objective: To investigate the feasibility of extracting energy from the granite subsurface below ground or below sea in and around the Isles of Scilly sufficient to power the islands in combination with other renewables through a local supply scheme.
Tech: Geothermal
Expected outcome: The study will determine the potential output for delivering power and heat to the islands through geothermal sources and concurrently explore the feasibility of changing the Islands’ primary transformer to export as well as import power via the inter connector with mainland Britain.
Project location: Stroud
Award: 39,925
Objective: To explore the feasibility of a multi-stakeholder project design to develop and assess community energy schemes, and provide examples, to support communities in the practical process of energy generation and, through shared learnings and outcomes, to take communities along a community energy journey.
Tech: 0.5 – 2MW solar PV
Expected outcome: The study engaged with communities to bring forward sites, create a shortlist and do first step feasibility studies. From these they will select one site to progress to full feasibility, and hold multi-community discussions to explore next steps to realise the community energy projects.
Project location: Wiltshire
Award: £99,975
Objective: To take to financial close a joint ownership model with commercial developer, Eden Renewables and re-invest £78K per annum for community benefit into carbon reduction and fuel poverty projects.
Tech: 10MW ground mount solar array
Expected outcome: The project will support the land legal, procurement, fund raise, promotional costs and joint venture set up costs between Zero North Wiltshire and community joint venture partner Bath & West Community Energy.
CEF Window 4
Project location: Bath and North East Somerset Council
Award: £99,916
Objective: To progress the CEF Stage 1 work to lead to a Local Supply compatible grid connection offer. The Stage 2 work will include advice on financial modelling, planning issues, Legal property, power purchase and Energy Local contracts, as well as include further community engagement about an Energy Local club (target of c. 300 households), operation and maintenance of the solar asset (by Bright Renewables).
Expected outcome: Planning Permission to be granted, plans drawn up to raise funds for construction via a share or bond offering with shortfall met by a Triodos Bank loan. Community concerns and needs to be addressed where possible. The Option and Lease agreed with the landowner. A robust financial model to be built (including strike price for electricity sales).
Project location: Bath & North East Somerset
Award: £100,000
Objective: To progress the CEF Stage 1 wind farm through detailed site design, Environment Impact Assessment, Planning Application and preparation for investment. The site has a 33kV and an 11kV connection option and the Stage 2 work will help understand how to maximise the generation capacity within the constraints of grid, available turbine size and construction access via the local rural road network.
Tech: Up to 12MW Wind
Expected outcome: That the wind farm will finalise Heads of Terms and Lease with the landowner and neighbours, receive Planning Permission, obtain highway permits and the project can progress to raising the finance for construction. The grid connection option and size of turbines will be decided.
Project location: South Gloucestershire
Award: £100,000
Objective: To progress the CEF Stage 1 work to overcome grid constraints by connecting 4 MW of generation capacity from a hybrid of wind, solar and battery assets to a 949kW single grid connection. The proposed method is to use DC coupling, whereby the solar and battery are coupled with the wind turbine’s inverter rather than having three individual inverters requiring a larger connection capacity.
Tech: 1MW wind turbine, 2MW ground mounted solar array and 3MWh battery with Direct Current (DC)-coupled system. The technology is developed by EWT and being live tested and operating successfully in Holland.
Expected outcome: Project case study to be added
Project location: Somerset Unitary Authority
Award: 39,550
Objective: To explore the feasibility of replacing an old turbine with a modern hydro facility which may supply EV chargers and/or the nearby Longleat estate.
Expected outcome: To understand the best offtaker arrangement of a potential hydro power scheme and the viability of using South West Water mitigation funding to build the asset.
Project location: Isle of Wight
Award: £14,650
Objective: To explore the feasibility of a scheme of free or low-cost solar PV with batteries on domestic and small business buildiTngs integrated with existing battery owners into a regional Virtual Power Plant. This may enable participation in energy flexibility services and address the challenges of long DNO (Distribution Network Operator) connections for renewable energy assets on the Isle of Wight which is constrained.
Tech: Domestic Batteries – Social Virtual Power Plant (SVPP)
Expected outcome: To understand the technical and operational costs of creating a virtual power plant, suitable fund-raising models and the viability of peak-shifting daytime generation to the peak consumption period.
Project location: Plymouth City Council
Award: £39,554
Objective: The aim is to test the feasibility for solar PV at three sites: 1. A ground mount array connected via private wire to the data centre at Plymouth Science Park (PSP). 2. Rooftop solar on a building at PSP. 3. Rooftop solar on the offices of Plymouth Community Homes. These sites further develop the community energy model to supply key city organisations.
Tech: 341kWp Solar PV and private wire
Expected outcome: To obtain signed heads of terms, pre-planning advice , as well as technical and financial feasibility for all three sites and take the sites to CEF Stage 2 readiness.
CEF Window 5
Project location: Cornwall
Award: £25,000
Objective: To progress from RCEF Stage 1 to build-ready stage, finalising the design and approvals for a 69-96kWp solar PV system, battery storage, and EV charging infrastructure at BF Adventure’s 65-acre site in Cornwall, reducing grid reliance, cutting costs,and enabling additional support programmes to be funded.
Tech: Roof or ground mount Solar PV, battery storage, EV charging infrastructure (69 to 96kWp)
Expected outcome:
Take project to build ready stage, progressing from the initial Stage 1 RCEF feasibility report to fully define the proposed system and to have all required consents, plans and costings and suppliers in place to facilitate rapid installation.
Project location: South Gloucestershire
Award: £100,000
Objective: To install a 5.4MW ground-mounted solar array at the GWAAC airbase in Almondsbury, generating 5,616 MWh annually, with power exported via Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and potential private wire supply for an EV charging station and future electric aviation, supporting community ownership and local energy resilience.
Tech: 5.4MW ground-mounted solar PV
Expected outcome: Cae study to be added
Project location: Dorset
Award: £40,000
Objective: To provide low-cost, locally-generated green energy through a200kW solar array and 50-200kW wind turbine, prioritising affordable housing and EV charging despite grid constraints, with future phases targeting community energy needs.
Tech: 200kW solar array and 50-200kW wind turbine, EV charging
Expected outcome: The feasibility study aims to assess site suitability, grid connection, environmental impact, project planning, funding, risks, and initiate the planning application.
Project location: North Somerset
Award: £20,495
Objective: To carry out a detailed feasibility study for a community-owned 2MW wind turbine, building on a successful Stage 1 study and preparing for two funding applications for pre-planning and further feasibility work.
Tech: 2MW wind turbine
Expected outcome: Re-undertaking of the pre-planning application stage and elements of the detailed feasibility work
Project location: South Hams, Devon
Award: 49,975
Objective: Stage 2 exploring innovative local supply model that creates a peer-to-peer renewable electricity market, balancing Totnes Weir Hydro (300kW) with 100kW of community-owned solar PV, optimizing local energy use, reducing grid upgrade costs, and enabling fair pricing for both consumers and small-scale generators.
Tech: 94kW roof-mounted Solar PV
Expected outcome: Establishing Energy Local Totnes (ELT). ELT is a club for buying and sellinglocally generated renewable electricity at a fair price.
Project location: North Somerset
Award: £39,775
Objective: To explore the feasibility of a community-owned wind farm (one or more turbines of 1MW scale or larger) in 30 acres of land in discussion with commercial developer, Green Switch Capital and neighboring landowners.
Tech: 1MW Wind Turbine
Expected outcome: Identify potential sites for one or more wind turbines of 1MW scale or larger at, assess available grid capacity, approach adjacent landowners who maybe willing to add land to the project and host.