MaidEnergy arose from the Transition Town movement to become a local renewable energy society. We supply solar power to local schools and community buildings, reducing their energy bills and helping educate children about renewable power.
71 t
Est. annual reduction in carbon
emissions (tonnes CO2 eq)
13,000
Est. number of people
who benefit directly
Our story
A small group of people with a shared interest in climate change mitigation realised that collectively we had enough of the skill mix to initiate a solar project in our spare time. We established a financial model for installing solar, then we secured seed funding from our local authority to develop the required governance and legal framework. Running our first successful share offer was a momentous event which proved our capability and was the beginning of our track record for local solar in the context of government subsidy. Since subsequent share offers, our portfolio covers 7 sites, £450k of investment and over 100 members. Beneficiaries are the community site owners who benefit from lower cost energy, the adults and children who use those sites and our co-op of >100 investors.
Our advice
Voluntary groups with little funds are slow to progress - avoid deadlines e.g. FiT
Projects have greater certainty when you involve committed experts.
If a co-op has multiple projects, lump share offer % returns together (it's more ethical).
Try to repeat your successes, rather than experimenting with new projects each time.
Our metrics
Tonnes of carbon emissions reduced.
Number of sites with solar installations.
Community support with funding and new projects.
P2P networking platform that helps connect third sector organisations and activists, local SMEs and private sector entities, to work together more effectively in delivering the local Climate Action Plan.
The Highland Adapts initiative is co-developing a climate risk and opportunity assessment for the region with people from across the Highlands that will be freely available and is based on both research and lived experience from Highland communities.
A programme that aims to unlock the collective power of communities in Wales to tackle the climate crisis and live more sustainably, with a focus on those communities who are the most likely to be affected by climate change.
Using the bargaining power of group-buying, members of Sustainable Bridport (formerly Transition Town Bridport) negotiated bulk buying discounts with suppliers to make solar PV accessible and affordable to more prospective renewable energy enthusiasts.
Net Zero Now is a free training programme designed by Cambridge Carbon Footprint to give locals the knowledge and confidence to support their community in accelerating the move to net zero emissions.
SOS runs courses for householders, councils, parish and town council clerks and councillors, in conjunction with the Carbon Literacy Project, encouraging attendees to make personal and group pledges to reduce their carbon footprint.