Heart of England Community Energy – People Powered Energy

Heart of England Community Energy (HECE)owns the UK’s largest community solar farm. Located just outside Stratford-Upon-Avon, its three solar farms contain about 60,000 solar panels and have a capacity of just under 15 megawatts. The farms have been generating electricity since 2016 and generate the equivalent of 4,500 homes’ annual consumption. HECE is a not-for-profit community benefit society and any surplus income generated, after operating and finance costs, isrecycled back into the local community by supporting local charities and projects that have a positive social and environmental impact. HECE’s goal is to donate approximately £2 million to good causes over the projects’ lifetime with an intended minimum of £30,000 per year. Currently, HECE is providing funding to Harbury e-Wheels, a Warwickshire-based community transport charity using electric cars to help isolated people without their own transport to get around. HECE provides ongoing funding to Warwickshire energy advice charityAct on Energy to help local households struggling with fuel poverty. They also support SolarAid, an international charity which combats poverty and climate change through providing access to solar lights in Uganda, Malawi and Zambia. HECE is funded by a combination of loan finance from Triodos Bank (a leading ethical bank) a social investment fund called Social and Sustainable Capital and community share and bond offers which enable individuals to invest. HECE will be launching a further community bond offer in 2020. For more information please contact info@hecommunityenergy.org Further information around this opportunity.