Are home-grown renewables the answer to the energy crisis?
Residents of the UK have been struggling under the effects of an energy crisis since 2021. These challenges have clearly been compounded by conflict in the middle east and resulting restrictions on shipping and trade. The shock of this has revealed the urgent need for energy independence and security – a resilient, reliable, and low […]
Community Energy Day hosted by DESNZ
On Wednesday 18th March Energise South Downs celebrated Community Energy Day with other community energy groups, hosted by the Department for Energy and Net Zero (DESNZ) and Great British Energy. Our CEO Catriona presented as part of the ‘solar workshop’. Although ESD are fairly new kids on the block, she was able to share the learning […]
Supplementary analysis of the 7th carbon budget
On the 11th of March the Climate Change Committee published a supplementary analysis for the Seventh Carbon Budget. The report was published amid surging oil and gas prices after the US and Israel attacked Iran, which has triggered chaos on international energy markets. It tests the Committee’s cost and energy security conclusions against different scenarios. […]
Reaching out to local business owners at First Friday
At the First Friday networking event in Petersfield on 6th March, Energise South Downs CEO Catriona Cockburn was invited to speak to local business owners. Cat gave an introduction to community energy, and outlined ESD’s constitution and governance, stakeholders, and business model. She then introduced the share offer and detailed how it works, explaining that ESD raised […]
Time to ‘Up The Energy’ on community power
Time to turn UP THE ENERGY on community power! On Wednesday 4th March, a coalition of organisations handed in an open letter – signed by Energise South Downs – calling on Government to Up The Energy on community power. A new energy system is already taking shape – cleaner, fairer and powered by communities. Renewables […]
What’s in the Warm Homes Plan?
In January 2026, government published its Warm Homes Plan, which it claims will cut bills, tackle fuel poverty, create jobs, deliver energy security and help tackle the climate crisis. Buildings are the second-largest source of emissions in the UK, after transport, and fossil-fuel heating is by far the largest contributor to those emissions. Reliance on […]
A Second Wind: repowering onshore wind
More than half of Great Britain’s current onshore wind fleet is expected to face end-of-life decisions by 2035, meaning developers will be facing difficult decisions whether to decommission, life extend or repower. Repowering could add an additional 690 MW of onshore wind capacity by 2035, increasing to a possible 6 GW by 2050 as more […]
The Great British Energy Local Power Plan
On 10th February Great British Energy and government published the Local Power Plan, backed by funding of up to £1 billion, to help support locally-owned clean energy generation projects such as solar on community buildings like libraries, leisure centres and miners’ welfare clubs. The plan is set to deliver the biggest public investment in community […]
Do you want to invest in our future? Have your say in our survey!
Energise South Downs’ mission is to transform the South Downs and surrounding areas into a beacon of sustainability through community energy projects. Community energy projects bring people together to generate, manage, or reduce energy use. These initiatives cut carbon emissions through locally generated renewable energy, funded by local investment. They empower communities to have a say […]
UK’s net zero economy brings opportunities
The move to renewables, and electrification, will not only save householders money, but will benefit the wider economy as well – according to the Confederation of British Industry. The net zero sector is growing three times faster than the overall UK economy, providing high-wage jobs across the country while cutting climate-heating emissions and increasing energy security. […]