Up the Energy: Local action on renewable energy

Aim

To showcase community energy nationwide, inspiring communities to act, cut carbon, save on bills, and benefit locally

Who are we, and what is our project about?

Over the past fifteen years, the UK has made huge strides in clean energy: renewables now provide half of the nation’s electricity, greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by 35%, and our air is cleaner than it has been in a generation.

Community energy has played a vital role in this transition. Local groups generate renewable power, cut energy bills, and reinvest profits into jobs, green spaces, and community services - delivering direct benefits to the people who live there.

Community Energy England, the national voice for community energy, supports these groups to grow and thrive. Our Up the Energy campaign brings this to life through a travelling light installation and storytelling programme that makes community energy visible, accessible, and relevant to everyday life.

The light installation is a visually engaging, interactive display powered by clean energy principles. It uses light to represent locally generated renewable energy - showing how energy can be produced, shared, and used within a community. Installed in public spaces, it draws people in, sparks curiosity, and opens conversations about how communities can take practical action to reduce emissions, lower energy costs, and build resilience to climate change.

Alongside this, we will produce a series of short films that explore real community energy projects across England. These films will cover topics such as:

• How communities generate and own renewable energy (solar, wind, hydro)
• How projects reduce carbon emissions and support climate adaptation
• How income from energy is reinvested into local services, fuel poverty support, and green spaces
• How communities can get involved, from volunteering to developing their own projects
• How people involved in community energy gain practical skills, knowledge, and confidence - learning how to develop, manage, and volunteer in local renewable energy projects, while building capacity to take climate action in their own communities.

Together, these elements make community energy tangible and show how it helps communities prevent, prepare for, and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Why are we crowdfunding?

We’re crowdfunding to bring Up the Energy to communities across England over the next 12–18 months. Your support will help us:

• Tour our light installation to towns across England, creating engaging public spaces where people can learn about and discuss community-led climate solutions
• Produce films that showcase real projects, helping communities understand how to take action locally
• Engage communities directly through events, sparking participation in renewable energy and climate initiatives

Up the Energy helps communities prevent, prepare for, and adapt to the impacts of a changing climate by making practical, community-led energy solutions visible, accessible, and actionable.

The project supports climate change prevention by increasing awareness of and participation in renewable energy, enabling communities to reduce carbon emissions through locally owned clean energy projects.

It supports preparation by providing education and building practical skills for a sustainable future, increasing public understanding, confidence, and ability to engage in community energy. 

Through films, events, regional media and digital engagement people learn how community energy works, how to get involved, and how these solutions can improve energy resilience, reduce reliance on volatile energy markets, and strengthen local capacity to respond to future challenges.

It supports adaptation by educating communities about community-led energy models and how they can be developed and sustained locally, building the knowledge and confidence needed to take action. By showing how these models keep benefits local, reinvest income into community services, and strengthen local economies, the project equips communities with the understanding and skills to adopt solutions that increase resilience to the economic and environmental impacts of climate change.

Through storytelling, local engagement, and evidence-building, Up the Energy empowers people to take practical climate action - cutting carbon, reducing energy costs, and creating a more resilient, low-carbon future.

How we’ll spend the money raised

Showcasing community energy projects and explaining how they reduce emissions, support local resilience, and enable community participation in climate action. These films will be co-developed with local community energy organisations to ensure authentic storytelling and will be tailored for regional media use, helping amplify local voices and impact.

Touring and installation costs: delivering the light installation in public spaces across England, enabling communities to engage directly with climate solutions.

National polling: Gathering evidence on public attitudes, willingness to participate, and appetite to invest in community energy and climate action, including:

• Willingness to invest in or financially support community energy projects
• Likelihood of participating in local energy initiatives (e.g. volunteering, co-ownership, or governance)
• Perceived barriers to involvement, including cost, knowledge, and access
• Levels of trust in community-led energy compared to commercial providers
• Understanding of how community energy can reduce emissions and deliver local benefits

This focus on active participation ensures the campaign moves beyond awareness, generating insights that directly inform how to engage and mobilise communities to take practical action and play a meaningful role in the transition to a low-carbon energy system.

Campaign coordination, content editing, and digital distribution: Ensuring high-quality, accessible engagement materials that reach diverse audiences nationwide. This includes working closely with local community energy organisations and partners to deliver coordinated regional communications, including targeted media outreach and local radio campaigns in each activation area. This approach will maximise visibility, strengthen local engagement, and ensure the campaign resonates with communities in each location.

Evaluation and learning: measuring impact, including changes in awareness and engagement, and sharing insights to strengthen future climate action initiatives.

All costs directly support public engagement, increase understanding of climate solutions, and enable communities to take action.

How you can help

Make a donation - every pledge helps bring community-led climate solutions to more places.

Spread the word - share our community energy films and content to inspire local action on renewable energy.

Get involved - connect with local community energy organisations, and be part of the transition to a cleaner, fairer energy system.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 25th June 2026 at 11:00pm