Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what support her Department is providing to renewable energy cooperatives.

This Government is proud to support the community energy sector, including renewable energy cooperatives. We have provided £2m to support over 100 community groups through the Urban and Rural Community Energy Funds. We also provided £885,000 to Bristol City Council to develop a Local Authority Best Practice Programme. In September, during Community Energy Fortnight, the DECC-funded Community Energy Hub was launched, which will help communities across the UK share knowledge and information on community energy projects.

The community energy sector is thriving and resilient. There are over 5,000 community groups active in the UK and the sector independently raised over £25m in project finance in 2014. There has also been a number of exciting initiatives recently, including the first local authority energy supply company set up by Nottingham City Council which aims to support local community groups.