Enough of these energy companies fleecing us! Time for local power.

Energy ● National by GrimsbyGrit · 🏷️ 1. Concerned Citizen · Local · 2 months ago
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We need to establish community-owned energy generation hubs in towns like ours. These wouldn't be massive power stations, but smaller setups using renewable sources like solar and wind, maybe even geothermal if we're lucky, placed strategically in industrial areas or on public land. The idea is for the town or a local cooperative to own and manage them, not some faceless corporation miles away.

This isn't just about saving money, though that's a big part of it, love. It’s about energy security and keeping profits local. For too long, we’ve been at the mercy of price hikes dictated by people who don’t know Grimsby from a hole in the wall. Community ownership means a share in the profits can be reinvested right back into local services, like fixing potholes or supporting our schools. Plus, when a local company runs things, they’re accountable to us, not just shareholders.

GrimsbyGrit 🔍 Select Committee Chair Local

⚓ The Humber Coast Collective Party

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Discussion (5)

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Someone was saying the other day that rural areas have a hard time getting connected to decent broadband, and I think the same could happen with these community-owned energy hubs - what about areas that don't have the space or resources for renewable energy sources, like my own hometown in Northern Ireland where we've got a lot of smaller villages. Isn't there a risk that those places will get left behind, and we'll just be widening the gap between urban and rural areas. Wasn't there a policy about this last week, talking about making sure rural areas don't get forgotten in the push for renewable energy?
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Community energy sounds alright, but who's going to service all these bits and bobs when they break down? It’s not like you can just nip down the pub to get a new boiler part for a wind turbine, you know.
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I'm all for keeping profits local, but let's not get too carried away with the idea of community ownership, or we'll end up with a situation where the local council is trying to run a energy company, and we all know how well they manage to fill potholes. It's a bit of a stretch to think they'll suddenly become savvy energy entrepreneurs.
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But how do we ensure these community hubs are actually profitable enough to reinvest in services, especially with the initial setup costs for renewables?
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Well, if the shareholders are too far away to know Grimsby, I suppose they won't notice if a few solar panels go missing from the roof to help pay for the school library.
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Mock the policy. Not the person. Community principles →