LONDON, 17 August 2026 — Councils that have not laid the groundwork for working with community energy groups risk losing out as Great British Energy rolls out £1 billion for local and community energy, including a new Partnership Fund expected to open to joint council and community projects this year.

A new free guide published today sets out how councils can get community-owned solar onto their roofs, schools and land, and how to clear the barriers that routinely hamstring these projects before they start.

The Guide to Community Solar on Council Assets was written by Dr Rachel Coxcoon of Climate Guide, and former Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Planning at Cotswold District Council, and produced by Community Energy Pathways with UK100 and Community Energy England, funded by the Greater South East Net Zero Hub.

The partnership ran interviews and consultation sessions online and at community energy conferences in Essex, Berkshire and Bedfordshire, reaching more than 200 council and community energy staff.

That engagement found the barriers are rarely political. Community solar projects stall because no single department owns them, and they get passed between procurement, legal, estates, finance and climate teams. Officers are unsure which procurement routes are appropriate, and cautious about signing long leases with third parties.

Where support does exist, it often rests on one enthusiastic officer or councillor, and can evaporate quickly when they move on.

Community Energy Pathways executive chair Ollie Pendered says:

"With GB Energy set to release details of its Partnerships Fund specifically aimed at supporting local authorities to partner with community energy organisations, this resource is right on time. The Guide does a phenomenal job of providing the technical and practical resources that Officers and Councillors need to get political and operational buy-in across Council departments, and with GB Energy expected to provide funding to support that work, we hope this will be an accelerant to local authority-community energy partnerships, and long-term growth for the sector."

UK100 chief executive Christopher Hammond says:

"There is real appetite in councils of every political colour to get community-owned solar onto their roofs and their land. What gets in the way is almost never the politics. It is the practical questions: who owns this internally, which procurement route is lawful, whether they can sign a long lease. Those questions have answers, and they are in this guide.

"With £1 billion moving through Great British Energy for exactly this kind of partnership, the councils that have done the groundwork are the ones that will benefit. But no council should have to work this out alone, from scratch."

The toolkit comes in two parts. The first is a set of decision-making templates — a cabinet decision paper, a community solar strategy and a full council motion. The second is a set of barrier-busting resources covering procurement routes, legal and estates questions, and case studies from councils that have already done it.

It also includes a standalone document written for community energy groups rather than councils. How Your Council Works: a Guide for Community Energy Groups explains who holds which powers, how decisions get made, and what local government reorganisation means for groups trying to build a partnership. Community Energy England has produced four accompanying videos featuring officers and councillors from councils that have community energy partnerships in place or in development.

Community Energy England’s most recent State of the Sector report counted 614 community energy organisations across the UK. Between them they have installed 411 megawatts of generating capacity, producing around 575 gigawatt hours of clean electricity a year — enough to power roughly 213,000 households — while supporting almost 1,000 jobs and nearly 5,000 volunteer roles.

The guides and videos are available at netzerogo.org.uk/resources/guide-to-community-solar-on-council-assets

ENDS

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More information: Liam Ward, Communications and Advocacy Manager, UK100: liam.ward@uk100.org

Notes to editors

Images from the consultation workshops are available on request.

The Guide to Community Solar on Council Assets, the accompanying templates and the Community Energy England video series are hosted on Net Zero Go.

About the author: Dr Rachel Coxcoon, Climate Guide

A public sector consultancy led by Dr Rachel Coxcoon offering quantitative and qualitative research, strategic climate change support, and training. Rachel specialises in the political and social dimensions of climate policy, with over 20 years of senior leadership experience in local government and the climate sector.

About Community Energy Pathways

An award-winning social enterprise that exclusively works to accelerate growth in the community energy sector through building local skills and capacity, unlocking investment, leading innovation and strengthening collaboration between communities, government, local authorities, and industry partners.

communityenergypathways.org.uk

About UK100

UK100 is the only network of ambitious local, regional and strategic authorities led by all political parties working together to tackle climate change. We help local leaders overcome challenges and turn innovation into solutions that work everywhere. We build the case for the powers needed to make change happen. From cities to villages, we help communities across the UK create thriving places powered by clean energy, with fresh air to breathe, warm homes to live in, and a healthy natural environment. UK100.org

About Community Energy England

The national voice of the community energy sector, representing organisations from across the community, public, and private sectors all working to put people at the heart of energy system transformation. We work with our members to help create a fair and zero-carbon energy system through the growth of community energy.

communityenergyengland.org

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