The Repowered Community is Repowering London’s clean energy neighbourhood model. It strengthens communities by delivering clean energy hand in hand with long-term local services and benefits. One year into its first demonstrator project, Repowered Community Newham, we wanted to explore the impact we are having.
Repowered Community Newham is working in a borough that needs support. Evidence shows that two-fifths of UK households are struggling with energy bills. Yet, privately owned energy companies are extracting greater levels of income from our communities to generate ever-growing profits, fuelling increasing levels of inequality. The London borough of Newham is aware of the effect of this system. It is the third-most deprived Local Authority in London, has London’s highest fuel poverty rate and is one of the London boroughs most exposed to the flood and overheating risks that come with climate change.
To combat this, Repowering London is supporting the growth of local energy in Newham. It centres people in the creation of local energy systems in a way that has real world impact. We are increasing community understanding of energy systems, building the framework for democratic energy reform and creating meaningful opportunities for local people to help shape solutions and create benefits. Here’s how…
Community Energy Newham speaks to the community about local energy and how it can create positive benefits
Local people from the Newham community discuss governance systems for the Community Steering Group
Starting a local movement
First and foremost, we have been working with local co-operative Community Energy Newham (CEN) to build the capacity of its volunteer team. This involves offering ongoing development and mentoring to build residents’ skills, confidence and leadership in community energy work. This has enabled them to take on active roles in sharing the goals of CEN with others in their community and networks. Volunteers have supported events and stalls, helped run activities, and shared information on social media. The impact can be felt exponentially with community energy embedding deeper into the community. Volunteers actively participating in the project are building a fairer, more locally owned energy system.
Communities embedded into decision-making
A Community Steering Group made up of local Newham residents is guiding decision-making and programme development for Repowered Community Newham. Made up of diverse voices from across the borough, it includes residents connected to potential project areas and those with relevant lived experience of fuel poverty and energy access. The steering group has allowed residents to directly influence decisions on heat networks, embedding lived experience, giving them a strong voice in shaping their borough’s local energy networks.
At the Little Ilford Estate, a site the steering group prioritised for the development of a heat network, and the residents are becoming actively involved in shaping the design of their future heat supply. Volunteers from Community Energy Newham are contributing to project design and delivery: identifying potential rooftop solar sites, contributing to key decisions on heat network locations, and designing a community energy share offer approach.
Our community-led neighbourhood model is putting communities at the heart of decision-making.
Truly democratic governance
At the core of the programme, we are demonstrating that a fairer and more equitable energy system is possible – where people have agency and ownership. To do this, we are designing the governance and legal structure of a Community Energy Services Company, a company set to supply low-cost energy supplies. Using this model, communities can build renewable energy assets and local energy supply in way that is economically viable and fairly balances levels of responsibility and risk. The governance model showcases how community ownership can be embedded into energy reform and can be used as a replicable template for any future Repowered Community.
Solar installs on local schools are just the start of the real-world impact the programme is making
Real world impact
Together with communities, Repowering London is laying the foundations for transformative infrastructure projects for heat supply and retrofit, that will provide bill savings and health improvements for hundreds of households. CEN’s solar installs are already lowering energy bills for community institutions. The Repowered Community sets out to support CEN to bring more solar assets into local ownership. It is creating an impact… giving local communities the tools to build, steer and own their own local energy system.
Ultimately, we want to support community groups and Local Authorities across the UK to make transformative change that works in their context. To do this we’re creating an accessible roadmap to a Repowered Community in the form of a suite of toolkits. Repowering London’s mission is for every town and city in the UK can be powered by community energy by 2030. The Repowered Community will help make that happen. Our neighbourhood energy model gives communities the seeds to grow their own projects where they live – moving forward with a just transition that everyone can have a part in.
Repowered Community Newham is funded by The National Lottery Community Fund.
To learn more about Repowered Community Newham you can read our latest blog articles below