We’re a varied bunch; some of us are driven by the desire to mitigate dangerous climate change, others want to eradicate fuel poverty in London: The one thing we have common? We’re all trying to make a difference and improve our city!
Meet some of our member groups below – remember it’s currently free to join CEL and we will keep you updated with sector news, events, training and other opportunities.
List of some of our members
Bromley-by-Bow Centre (BBBC) Community Solar
Bromley-by-Bow Centre, in Tower Hamlets, has been awarded £11,950 towards a project to install solar panels on their community centre. They aim to install around 56 solar panels. The renewable system will be used to raise awareness of clean energy to their community and any profit form the FiT would go into a community fund that can be used to support existing fuel poverty advice services.
Brixton Energy
Brixton Energy was set up by Repowering London, who have successfully established four community energy projects on social housing, including Solar One on Elmore House (37.24kWp), Solar Two on Styles Gardens (45kWp), Solar Three on Roupell Park (52kWp) and Banister House Solar (102kWp) in collaboration with Hackney Energy.
Brent Pure Energy
Brent Pure Energy is a Community Benefit Society, registered and regulated by the Financial Conduct Association. They offer local community organisations a chance to cut down on their carbon emissions and their energy costs, and local people a chance to invest in solar energy, giving both a reasonable return on investment and a chance to help the community.
Their latest project, a 50 kWp solar array on Queens Park Community School, and is now up and producing sustainable electricity! This equates to 198 panels and is generating some 47,500 kWh of electricity per annum. More than 99% of this electricity is used by the school, resulting in a saving to the school of around £2500 a year!
Calthorpe Energy Lab
The Calthorpe Project in Camden has been awarded £9,775 to undertake wider community engagement and develop a financially viable solar project on their community centre located in Kings Cross. Funding from the Mayor will enable the Calthorpe Project to complete a feasibility study and design for solar panel installation and also draft a share offer.
City of London Community Energy
City of London Community Energy Group has been awarded £12,450 to develop a project aiming to install around 200 solar panels on the Middlesex Street Estate (City of London), which includes flats, a library and a community centre. The project will be supported by Repowering London and also funded through a community share offer.
CREW
CREW is the first community energy group in London to complete an LED replacement project under a lighting services agreement. They offer a range of technological solutions to help community groups, businesses and home owners save energy and become more efficient. They are also launching a series of energy cafes throughout 2019 to help people reduce their energy bills, make their homes more efficient and lift out of fuel poverty.
Ealing Transition
In partnership with Ealing Council and the Schools’ Energy Co-operative, Ealing Transition have helped to provide solar panels for several local schools. Members invested through a crowdfunding scheme and will receive a small amount of interest yearly.
Ealing Transition are also involved with helping to make the local housing stock more energy efficient – energy saving renovations by their members are available online.
Edward Woods Community Centre
London Sustainable Exchange (LSx) has been awarded £6,130 to install solar panels on the Edward Woods Community Centre in Hammersmith & Fulham. The owners of the community centre hope the electricity savings and income from the Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) will be able to fund additional projects at the community centre, such as increasing the capacity of the Community Kitchen. They hope to install around 85 solar panels, which should generate just under 20,000 kWh per year.
Energy Garden
Energy Garden is the world’s first citywide programme that combines community energy and gardening projects. The programme is creating an interconnected network of Energy Gardens, adding natural beauty to London’s Overground stations and raising awareness of renewable energy generation. The gardening spaces are powered by solar water pumps and solar lighting. There are also plans for interactive solar powered notice boards to stay up to date with community projects.
Solar assets owned by Energy Garden, plus solar installed by Energy Garden on stations and depots, produce a revenue which will support the gardens and well-being programmes which Energy Garden runs.
The Highgate Society Sustainable Living
The Highgate Society Sustainable Living group aims to help people find the inspiration and information they need to make energy-aware choices. Formed early in 2011, the Highgate Society sustainable homes group has been researching the opportunities and potential pitfalls of energy efficient refurbishment (and new build) within the boroughs that constitute Highgate. The core team is made up of people with professional backgrounds in this or related fields: architecture and urban planning, sustainable energy, environmental advocacy, communications and conference organisation.
Most of the team have already taken steps to introduce significant energy efficiency and/or renewable energy measures in our own homes. They have created the 21st Century Homes concept, working with local groups, particularly the Muswell Hill Sustainability Group (MHSG) on events that showcase local and national products with the theme of character, comfort and low carbon.
Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Envrionmental Sciences (IFEES)
IFEES help people of faith to be more aware of the human impact on the environment. Through initiatives such as their Green Mosque Project, they encourage the building of eco-friendly features into mosques and promote taking measures to make buildings and congregations more eco-friendly.
Some mosques are initiating projects such as gardens, bee-keeping, farm visits, nature walks and tree-planting schemes. Some of these measures help keep down running costs, or even turn into enterprises that support themselves, while getting worshippers to work together and get to know one another better!
Mico anaerobic digestion
LEAP helps to bring micro AD technology and a closed-loop ethos into public spaces where people can see and understand the concept and its benefits. The demonstrator AD is based at the beautiful Calthorpe Project garden, where food is grown and harvested regularly for the on-site cafe – and fertiliser is made from the cafe’s food waste! The AD also converts the cafe’s food waste to biogas, which powers the stove!
Masbro Centre
London Sustainable Exchange (LSx) has been awarded a second grant of £6,130 to install solar panels on the Masbro Centre in Hammersmith & Fulham. The electricity savings and income from the FiT will help fund additional projects at the community centre. They hope to install around 68 solar panels, which would generate about 15,000 kWh per year.
Power Up North London
Power Up North London (PUNL) aims to generate locally owned renewable energy and use the profits to benefit the local community. In November 2015 they were awarded a grant from the Urban Community Energy Fund to cover feasibility costs for a North London solar project. This was used for feasibility studies and was followed by the successful installation of a 19kW solar installation on the south facing roof of a Grade II listed church in a conservation area in Highgate! Through the Mayor’s London Community Energy Fund, PUNL are now looking to support solar projects at a city farm, an arts agency and even a doctors’ surgery!
Muswell Hill Sustainability Group
Muswell Hill Sustainability Group (MHSG) is a volunteer organisation set up by local residents in 2008. Their aims are to reduce carbon emissions and waste in Muswell Hill and surrounding areas, and to encourage residents, local businesses and community groups to live more sustainably. Membership of the Group is open to all. They organise talks by expert speakers about climate and other environmental issues, and hold events, exhibitions and workshops on practical aspects of energy efficiency. Members have formed a thermal imaging group conducting house surveys for interested residents, and a wood fuel group on supply and correct use of wood for domestic heat.
MHSG conducted a ‘100 houses Study’ which followed 100 households in Muswell Hill over 2 years. This assisted participants with an initial carbon footprint assessment, agreed individual carbon reduction plans with them and provided assistance through regular surgeries with experts in household carbon reduction.
Newbery House Cooperative
Newbery House Cooperative has been awarded £9,740 to maximise benefits of solar panels which are about to be installed on this housing coop building in Islington. This project will look at the feasibility of supplementing the solar installation with electrical storage, on-site electric vehicle charging points, upgrading lighting to LED and guidance for residents on external wall insulation.
Public Works
Public Works has been awarded £8,686 towards the development of a small off-grid, hybrid renewable energy system – R-URBAN Poplar. The system could combine micro anaerobic digestion (AD), solar thermal, solar photovoltaic and wind technology. The micro-AD plant will generate power from waste collected (by bicycle) from 35 local households.
Repowering London
Repowering London specialises in co-producing community energy programmes with community groups and Local Authorities across London. They support communities to deliver, own and manage renewable energy projects that provide benefits to the citizens that surround them. So far, Repowering London has installed 132kWp of community owned renewable energy, saving almost 60 tonnes CO2 per annum. Projects include; Brixton Energy (Elmore House, Styles Gardens, Roupell Park), Hackney Energy (Bannister House), Energy Gardens and several more.
Schools Energy Co-operative
The Schools Energy Co-operative installs community funded solar panel systems on schools free of charge as well as paying all its profits to its member schools. A social enterprise, they are dedicated to supporting schools and providing an alternative to the prevailing commercial rent a roof or leasing model. Central to this is the aspiration to retain as much as possible of the benefits for the schools, their students and the surrounding communities. Schools Energy Co-op also provide educational support to our schools and works with the schools and local community groups to maximise the environmental, educational and community impact of the solar installations.
SE24
SE24 (Sustainable Energy 24) is a community energy group based in South London. We aim to encourage and develop locally-owned renewable energy projects on public or community buildings. Working with local partners and funded by both local investors and grant-funding bodies, SE24 have successfully installed nearly 230 kW of solar PV through the past four years. Our roof owning partners have been a large secondary school, three churches, and a hospice. The SE24 Community Fund receives a part of our generating income. This fund tackles fuel poverty and also supports local community initiatives – most recently helping support and maintain the Southwark Peace Garden at our partner site Walworth Methodist Church.
Solar SOAS
Solar SOAS is the first community energy project on a university in the UK. It”s also the first project carried out by the student and alumni-run community benefit society, UniSolar. The project saw 29.6KW of solar panels installed on the roof of the SOAS Old Building in September 2016. The panels are owned by the society, and feed-in tariff goes towards an annual ”green community fund” administered by the group for the SOAS community.
South East London Community Energy
South East London Community Energy (SELCE) is a not-for-profit social enterprise. Formed by residents of Greenwich and Lewisham, who want to play an active role in shaping the energy future of South East London. SELCE is taking action to combat climate change through generating renewable energy and tackling fuel poverty by providing advice and support for those struggling to pay their fuel bills and keep their homes warm in winter.
South West London Environment Network (SWLEN)
South West London Environment Network (SWLEN) is a charity dedicated to helping people and organisations protect and enhance the environment. They work in the London Boroughs of Richmond upon Thames, Kingston upon Thames and Hounslow. Their work focuses on preserving and protecting green spaces and biodiversity, promoting sustainability and community development and supporting environmental groups achieve their goals. They also offer free energy advice to schools and community buildings.
Sustainable Merton
Sustainable Merton is a community led initiative giving local residents, groups, organisations and businesses the opportunity to stimulate practical action to make our area a sustainable community. They are engaged in projects covering renewable energy and energy saving, local food growing, water conservation and raising awareness of the issues associated with climate change. They are working in partnership with Merton Council and with schools, community groups and businesses across Merton.
Sustainable Merton also hosts sustainability advice sessions at the Living Green Centre, formally Morden Hall Park.