Sustainability is an increasingly important consideration for our society. As a result, more and more local communities are keen to collaborate on community energy projects – there are now at least 300 community energy groups working on projects in the UK.
Comprising mostly volunteers, community energy groups often turn to us for legal input when the need arises – and as strong advocates of sustainability in all its forms, we’re happy to help at any step of a community project’s development.
Turning commitment into commercial reality for community energy projects
With experienced energy lawyers on your team, a community energy project has a much higher chance of success. We work with over 25 community energy project groups, including Brighton and Hove Energy Coop, Avalon Community Energy, Bath and West Community Energy, South Dartmoor Community and Exeter Community Energy.
We’re a community-focused law firm, and have supported such groups by helping them navigate the legal maze, identifying and securing opportunities and avoiding potential pitfalls. In many cases, our wide experience providing top-class legal advice to commercial renewable energy organisations and their funders translates perfectly to helping communities achieve their renewable goals on a more human level.
An inclusive and approachable team
We’d love to add your project to our list of successes. We’re straight-talking and accessible people, but also highly trained and qualified professionals who can guide you through the legal processes. It’s all part of our shared commitment to safeguarding the energy future.
Our experience includes:
Bath and West Community Energy – advising on a range of projects from the Flexibility Trial with battery and solar and software to ground mount solar projects
Devon Energy Collective – advice on synthetic power purchase arrangements and a new large scale wind farm proposal
Exeter Community Energy – due diligence on title, creation of leases and reversionary leases and implementation of more than 10 rooftop solar projects.
Mongoose Energy – setting up a licenced supply company, together with full due diligence (real estate, planning, construction and grid) and acquisition of eight large (sub 5MW) solar projects, including advice on project finance and setting up community interest companies.
Isles of Scilly Community Venture – Smart Islands Project including deliver of roof top solar, solar car ports, flexibility systems and now a marine energy project
Brendon Energy (Exe Valley hydro) – acting for a community developer, undertaking due diligence and putting in place three leases with separate landowners, and a power purchase agreement with a statutory undertaker to take 100% of the electricity supply from a small-scale hydro scheme for a 60-year period.
Acting for a lender in relation to a £2m financing for a 1MW community energy wind project in Gloucester, undertaking full due diligence and putting in place adequate protections for the lender.
South Dartmoor Community Energy – providing legal support with the acquisition of a large-scale ground mounted solar park and energy efficiency projects.
Negotiations on behalf of a community group in respect of a proposed National Grid Easement running through a 5MW community owned solar park.
Low Carbon Gordano Limited – acting on the acquisition of two ground-mounted solar arrays, including full due diligence.
Set-up and governance of community benefit societies and community interest companies are particular specialisms of ours, and we have a strong relationship with the regulator.
Members of the Energy team also act as trustees and board members for:
