How can businesses benefit from community energy? 

Community energy is no longer a fringe movement, it’s becoming a mainstream pathway toward local prosperity, sustainability and resilience. Businesses partnering with community energy organisations such as Energise South Downs in Petersfield can gain access to lower-cost clean power, reduce their emissions and strengthen their ties with local communities.  

With everything from raising capital to contracts and maintenance usually being managed by the community-owned energy organisation, it’s a win-win for SMEs who might not have capacity or capital to install solar panels themselves, but are attracted by the potential to more easily hit their net-zero targets with decarbonised energy. As well as decarbonising businesses, utility bills are lowered and excess profits are reinvested back into the community through Community Benefit Funds. 

One great example is the Broadway Park & Britannia Reeves project, led by Energise South Downs. This collaboration between two local, family-owned businesses shows what community energy can look like at its best. Britannia Reeves, a low energy user has offered up its large rooftops for solar PV installation. The electricity generated will supply all of Britannia Reeves’ business utilities, helping them to hit decarbonisation goals and significantly lower their bills. The excess energy will then supply up to 30% of the energy needs for neighbouring Broadway Park, a community of 140 park homes with higher usage. This helps residents prepare for a future with more electric heating and transport, while cutting utility costs by 20% and decarbonising. It’s a smart, cooperative model where clean energy is shared locally, based on actual need. 

Elsewhere, Brighton Energy Co-operative has helped small businesses lower energy bills by awarding grants for businesses to install solar panels on their premises, while Oxfordshire’s Low Carbon Hub reinvests revenue into schools and community buildings. These efforts cut costs and improve infrastructure that local businesses rely on. These examples show how community energy builds more than clean power: it strengthens the systems businesses and residents share every day and allows for redirection of revenue to where it’s needed most. 

When businesses buy or invest in locally owned energy, they improve cost control, support energy security and emissions goals, and engage with communities in tangible ways. Whether through direct participation in solar co‑ops or through corporate partnerships, community energy provides credible, visible leadership in the transition to net zero. 

How can your business get involved? 

If you’d like to use your rooftops for community solar, have a read of our Solar PV Project Requirements below, then simply reach out to Energise South Downs at hello@esd.energy to discuss how your roof space might be able to host solar panels!