When it comes to energy, the biggest players often steal the spotlight. The UK’s “Big Six” supply more than 90% of electricity, driven by shareholder returns and global markets. But amid the race to scale, a quieter revolution is underway. From city neighbourhoods to rural villages, communities are proving that the future of energy doesn’t have to be big to be powerful.
Community energy cooperatives might not match the size of the big utilities, but they punch well above their weight in innovation, impact, and local benefit.
Small means nimble
Because they are rooted in their local communities, these groups can adapt quickly to policy shifts, trial new technologies, and deliver solutions tailored to real people’s needs.
In Brighton, the Preston Park Community Energy Programme is pioneering the UK’s first resident-led solar power initiative, providing residents with solar panel installations and battery storage through a community-funded Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) model.
In Brixton, residents of a council block were among the first in the UK to trial peer-to-peer energy sharing.
And in Lawrence Weston near Bristol, locals built the country’s largest onshore wind turbine, an extraordinary feat of community determination.
This agility is something large utilities, with their layers of management and profit-driven motives, struggle to replicate.
Power for people, not shareholders
Community energy operates on a not-for-profit basis. Surpluses aren’t siphoned off to shareholders but reinvested into the community, whether that’s improving housing stock, funding local projects, or backing climate action. As a result, bills can be fairer, more stable, and less exposed to global price shocks.
Locally focused, locally accountable
Energy isn’t just infrastructure, it’s personal. Community-owned projects are closely attuned to local needs and provide bespoke services that big utilities rarely offer. From supporting low-income households to investing in schools or community centres, these initiatives deliver trust and empowerment alongside clean energy.
Beyond kilowatts: the bigger picture
The benefits go far beyond carbon and cost. Community energy projects:
- Lower emissions and reduce reliance on fossil fuels
- Create skilled local jobs and keep money circulating locally
- Build resilience by decentralising power generation
- Empower communities to take climate action into their own hands
The real energy transition
If the energy transition is going to be just, inclusive, and resilient, then communities need to be at its heart. That requires recognising the value of small-scale, people-powered energy, not dismissing it as too minor to matter.
Because when it comes to building a fairer energy system, the lesson is clear: it’s not about being bigger. It’s about being better for the people you serve.
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