Community Energy Wales has called for action from policymakers and regulators to remove the barriers that lock out communities from building energy projects.
It said the barriers to community energy businesses remain fundamentally the same as they have since 2016 – no route to market, the cost and effort of consenting, and the cost of connecting to the energy grid. These barriers have led to the stalled capacity increasing from 24.8MW in 2023 to 42.8MW in just one year, the organisation said.
Ben Ferguson Co-executive Director said:
“We have known for some time that the technology and appetite is there for communities to deliver energy projects for themselves – the problem is that we’re operating in an energy market that doesn’t allow for small and medium sized energy businesses to exist.
“On the one hand we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to secure unmeasured benefits from technological transformation. On the other, a comprehensive failure to do anything to take that opportunity. The responsibility for that sits squarely on the shoulders of policy makers and regulators both in Wales and at San Steffan who know the barriers, and have persistently failed to remove them.”
Recently, Community Energy Wales released their manifesto for the 2026 Senedd Elections A Vision for Energy Communities.
Leanne Wood, Co-executive Director, said:
“We have the answers to these roadblocks. We must make it easier for communities to sell energy to their neighbours, and match as much local generation with demand as possible. That’s the sort of energy market that communities will be able to take part in, benefit from, and make work for them.”
Read Community Energy Wales’ State of the Sector report Realising our potential, creating thriving communities here: SOTS-2025-English.pdf
