News Blog
BEC raises £400,000 for New Community Solar – Help Us get to £1/2 MILLION!
Last week Brighton Energy Coop hit a major target – we've raised just over £400,000 for our new solar builds. A big welcome to all our new members – nearly 100 people - and also thanks to those members who have increased your existing investments. We couldn't do this...
VIDEO: 250kWp new Community Owned solar at Ore Valley College
Recently completed BEC Community Solar at Ore Valley College near Hastings, 250kWp
Feed in Tariffs Scrapped – but BEC Gets Exemptions at THIRTY New Solar Sites
There's been a lot of talk about the end of the solar subsidy known as Feed in Tariffs (FITs). For eight years FITs were the basis on which nearly 1 million UK buildings installed solar panels. In March 2019 FITs were summarily scrapped. This, many posited, meant UK...
The Guardian view on fracking: the end can’t come soon enough
From The Guardian Launching a new fossil fuel industry was a bad idea, and a coalition of localists and environmentalists appears close to defeating it Less than four months after what was supposed to be a new beginning for fracking in England, when Cuadrilla resumed...
1/4 MILLION Raised for New Community Solar in Brighton!
This is community energy in action! #SolarForSchools Well it's been quite a ride over Christmas and New Year! Since we launched our latest series of community-owned solar PV projects we've raised £258,000 – and built one: 60kWp of new community-owned solar PV at Grand...
£75,000 Raised in a Week! Join BEC and Help us Build New Solar
#communityenergy in action! Yesterday work began installing a 60kWp solar system at the @uniofbrighton #grandparade site - here's the framing that will hold the #solar panels in place. Find out details of all our solar projects - https://t.co/kUeSQWtF8N...
Revealed: New Solar on Three Schools and a University – join BEC to Make it Happen!
Carden Primary School - 180kWp of new community-owned solar planned for the new year Hi folks, I'm very pleased to say that we've just launched the latest of our new community-funded solar projects. We've been beavering away for the last six months to get these great...
UK Fracking Makes No Money and Never Will – Here’s Why
The UK government is intent on removing planning permission requirements surrounding fracking. Yet with Energy Minister Claire Perry demanding a "line of sight to commerciality", evidence from the US shows fracking almost never makes any money. The Economist put it...
Ditching Feed in Tariffs is Premature: Demand Energy Minister Change Course
There's little time left before the end of the feed in tariffs scheme. And here's the straight truth: scrapping feed in tariffs in March will bring UK solar to a juddering halt. That's why I'm asking you to write to your MP. Tell them that instead of binning FITs,...
Grand Parade Solar – new community energy at the University of Brighton
Grand Parade Solar - new community energy at the University of Brighton This November Brighton Energy Coop is again teaming up with a major Brighton institution to deliver clean energy to the heart of the city - this time installing solar power at the University of...
Govt Kills Off Export Tariff; New Solar Unviable after Grid Access barred
April 2019 update - BEC secures exemptions to the end of FITs at THIRTY sites See here for details July 2018: The Government is proposing to bar solar generators' access to the national grid, by killing off the export tariff, a mechanism via which solar owners sell...
Cost of Solar Panels will fall by 35% in 2018 – Bloomberg
Solar panel cost will fall by 35% this year, according to business advisory service Bloomberg. In Europe, the average solar panel price has already fallen by 10%; with suppliers and contractors predicting further price falls ahead. Bloomberg base their numbers on vast...
Up to FIFTY Brighton and Hove Schools to go Solar with Brighton Energy Coop
Solar for Schools is an initiative offering free solar panels to Brighon and Hove schools, Brighton Energy Coop recently signed a contract with Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) so that - as a local community energy organisation - we can provide solar for schools...
Community Solar for Littlehampton Toolmaker Naiad Plastics
Community energy notched up another victory today with the announcement that Littlehampton toolmaker Naiad Plastics will be Brighton Energy Coop's next community-owned solar PV build. Naiad, a manufacturing company who make injection mouldings and precision...
Brighton area has 9400 Solar Installations – Govt figures
Recent figures show that the BN postcode area has been kicking out solar PV capacity. More than 9435 buildings across the BN area now have solar. That's around 36MW of clean solar power Brighton Energy Coop owns 3.3% of our region's solar capacity (with 1.35MW) - our...
Where are we Going to Get Power for our Electric Vehicles?
The Tesla supercharger charging point - the equivalent power of 100 boiling kettles being put into your car Electric Vehicles (EVs) are pretty cool, eh? This weekend I rode an electric mountain bike: whatever the vehicle, it seems, electrification is on its way. If...
Renewable Investment at Lowest Level since Feed in Tariffs Introduced
The UK has suffered a 'dramatic and worrying collapse' in clean energy investment, according to MPs. In cash terms, investment in clean energy fell by 10% in 2016 and then 56% in 2017. The House of Commons Enviromental Audit Select Committee said: "Annual clean energy...
THREE New Community Solar Projects are go!
BEC Launches THREE New Community Solar Projects - Get Involved! Well - here it is. Today sees the kick off for the first of our new solar projects for this year: THREE new community-owned solar installations in our area. You can help us get these exciting projects off...
£290,000 Pledged to New Brighton Solar Projects- Join Today!
[infogram id="bar-chart-1hmr6g97emzz4nl?live"]Hi folks, I'm pleased to say that a staggering £290,000 has now been pledged to Brighton Energy Coop's latest community solar PV schemes. This excellent achievement has been done by BEC members both old and new; nearly 100...
New Community Energy Projects Fall 99.4% after FIT Cuts: OFGEM
New community energy and school solar projects fell by 99.4% after our incompetent government imposed cuts to the Feed in Tariff, an answer to a parliamentary question has revealed. Using OFGEM figures, Energy Minister Richard Harrington (nope, not heard of him...
£150,000 pledged to new Brighton Energy projects – get involved!
Great news - we've now had £150,000 pledged towards our forthcoming solar projects, to be announced towards the end of the month. This is a fantastic response from both our 400-strong membership and the wider community. 45 people have said they would like to invest in...
Feed in Tariffs to end in 2019 – what’s next?
April 2019 update - BEC secures exemptions to the end of FITs at THIRTY sites See here for details January 2018: The UK Treasury quietly released a document late last year which signalled the end of the UK's popular renewable energy scheme, the Feed in Tariff. Late in...
UK Community Energy movement now worth £190,000,000
The UK's community energy movement has mushroomed to a staggering £190 million, according to a new report. Community Energy England launched their State of the Sector report in Manchester last weekend, which showed: At least 30,000 people have invested in community...
Brighton Energy Coop kicks off latest Community-funded solar project
Solar PV framing system being installed on the roof of the University of Brighton's Robert Dodd Annex building in Eastbourne last week Hi folks, I'm pleased to say that Brighton Energy Coop recently kicked off our latest solar installation - 150kWp of new...
WANTED: Project Finance professionals
As part of our ongoing fundraising we have several big new solar projects in the pipeline, and are looking at new ways to fund them. As such we have identified that we need more expertise in project finance. Until now we have raised more than £1.6 million through...
Is Business Rate Hike a Taste of Renewable Taxes to Come?
Infinity Foods Solar PV system is our best performing system!
In the four months of operation, our solar PV system at Infinity Foods Wholesale warehouse has been outperforming expectations. Generation is of course lowest through December and January, but we are now starting to see clean energy output increase as the days slowly...
Solar Powering ahead in Brighton area
How things have changed. In June 2010 only 12 homes in Brighton were kitted out with solar PV. Our recent analysis shows Brighton now has 8.4 MW of solar PV now within the city authority area, more than 30,000 solar panels. Solar capacity in Brighton and the...
Brighton Energy Coop launches latest community energy scheme – join us!
Hi folks, I'm very pleased to tell you that we have just announced our latest community energy scheme – this time partnering with the University of Brighton at their Eastbourne campus. See here for more details. This a great opportunity to support more community...
Supporting Community Energy also means Battling Fracking – National Day of Action 25th Feb
What is the point of building all this renewable energy that the UK has undeniably achieved (see my blog from last week) if it's going to be surrounded by fracking fields? Check out the map here (feel free to share): the south of England has five fracking sites with...
