The region’s community energy sector has come together with local authorities who have declared a climate emergency to consider their key role in helping to deliver new targets for renewable energy.

Bath and North East Somerset Council hosted more than ninety people from community and public sector organisations at the Wessex Community Energy Network Conference on 5th February at the Guildhall, discussing how to increase the amount of community-owned renewable generation across the Wessex area to help tackle the climate emergency.

Community energy describes renewable energy projects such as solar panels mounted on schools and free-standing wind turbines that are owned by residents, of:en those living in the areas close to the generation site. People buy a share in the scheme, have a say in the project and re-invest surplus income earned from energy genera- tion back into projects in the local area.

The conference also focused on how community energy companies and local authorities, town and parish councils can work in partnership to make projects happen quickly and successfully.

Councillor Sarah Warren, cabinet member for Climate Emergency, opened the conference. She said: “It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to host this timely conference about renewable energy generation, one of the three priority areas in our Climate Emergency plan. As well as learning about what is happening in our neigh- bouring authority areas, it was also good to be able to share our own experiences of working together with the community energy companies with whom the council has cooperation agreements, Bath and West Community Energy and Keynsham Community. Energy. It was great to see lots of energetic conversation and networking between the attendees.”

Pete West, secretary of the Wessex Community Energy Network, said: “It is very important that local authorities work with the wider community on tackling our climate emergency, which is the greatest threat we face today, as Sir David Attenborough recently stated. We believe that community energy groups can play an important role in this process.”

Pete Capener, MD of Bath and West Community Energy, said: "Our partnership with Bath and North East Somerset Council over the last ten years has demonstrated how work-ing together, communities and local authorities can deliver much more than they could by themselves. We are looking forward to doing even more in the future with the council, developing community owned and/or community led energy projects that benefit local people and build public consent for the changes that we need to see."

For more information: Wessex Community Energy Network: www.wessexce.net, Bath and West Community Energy: www.bwee.coop/, Keynsham. Community Energy: www.keynshamcommunityenergy.org.uk