Energy Local founder gives evidence to parliamentary committee on local energy markets
On 2 April 2025, our founder and director Dr Mary Gillie appeared in front of the House of Commons Energy Security and Net Zero Committee to give evidence on ‘Unlocking community energy at scale’.
In this wide-ranging session, which highlighted the complexity of electricity trading regulations, she set out how the concept of local energy markets (of which Energy Local clubs are an example) can empower communities and give people greater agency over energy generation, consumption and costs.
You can watch back here from 4pm onwards.
At Energy Local, we're currently campaigning for a modification to electricity trading regulations to simplify and clarify the rules around setting up local energy markets - you can read more and join our campaign here.
Eryri (Snowdonia) heat and power project gathers local momentum
The wheels are starting to turn on this multimillion pound project that will link together energy efficiency retrofitting and locally sourced renewable heat and power.
At the end of March, our team spent a day going over the details of the project with local politicians Liz Saville Roberts MP, Sian Gwenllian MS, and Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, along with representatives from organisations including Welsh Government, Cyngor Gwynedd (Gwynedd Council), Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, Cwmni Bro Ffestiniog, Grŵp Cynefin, Adra, REHAU UK & Ireland - Building Solutions, ENGIE UK, Ynni Cymru Energy Solutions, and SP Energy.
There was widespread support and enthusiasm for the project, so our next steps are to ensure value for money, get the financing in place and put together the planning permission application.
The people who live in the community must be at the centre of this process, so our project developers Ben Winterbourn and Fran Kohn-Hollins are working hard to ensure as many residents as possible are involved. They can be contacted on ben@energylocal.org.uk and frances@energylocal.org.uk.
Spotlight on: Settle Energy Local Club
Settle Energy Local Club (SELC) in North Yorkshire has just officially launched thanks to the persistence of the board including the Club secretary Paul Kelly.
He’s a former GP and self-confessed ‘completer finisher’, which has come in handy given the challenges Settle ELC has faced with arranging generation and smart metering.
The club’s ambition is to include multiple solar schemes, plus potentially connecting up with the local community hydro generator.
They are starting with a few pioneering members with power from a solar installation on a family-run soft furnishings manufacturer and the town’s Catholic church.
We’re working with Paul to resolve the issues that are currently preventing the church from selling their exported power into the club. This challenge has come on top of smart metering issues, which are unfortunately too common across the UK. A significant proportion of the town are unable to access smart metering because of signal problems, which has restricted which homes can join the club. Nonetheless SELC has persevered!
Paul is part of the board of directors, who are all retired professionals - chairman Robert Bellfield, treasurer Paul Cochrane, and Keith Waterson. They’re part of a town with a strong tradition of community action. Settle has a community-owned library and swimming pool; the churches are active; and Age UK is typical of the many volunteer groups with 100 volunteers in a town of 4,500 people. It also has an 80-member Action on Climate Emergency group from which SELC emerged.
Settle is an example of the practical barriers that communities can face in accessing the benefits of locally generated power, which have to be addressed on the ground. It’s also a case study in the ability of local people to make a difference to their area and contribute to decarbonisation across the UK.