A Welsh energy organisation, Egni Cydweithredol Cyfyngedig (Egni Co-op), has secured a £1.4m investment to deliver 2MW of new rooftop solar.
The investment will support the construction and commissioning of rooftop solar PV installations, including on schools and public buildings. It comes from the Welsh Government-backed Local Energy Fund, managed by the Development Bank of Wales, which provides development and capital finance to community-led, low-carbon and renewable energy projects.
Approximately 65% of the energy generated by the installations will be consumed directly on site. This will reduce the energy costs of the public buildings in which the solar panels are installed.
The contractors and suppliers used for the projects will be based in Wales, according to the cooperative.
Egni Co-op was founded by Welsh energy charity Awel Aman Tawe and focuses on installing solar panels on community-owned roofs. It says it has installed more than 5 MWp at more than 100 sites in Wales, and raised more than £5 million through a community share offer, in addition to support from the Welsh Government.
The legally structured non-profit cooperative reinvests any surplus in community and educational activities related to renewable energy and climate awareness. This includes funding an energy data platform, Energy Sparks, for use in schools.
According to Nicola Griffiths, senior portfolio manager at the Development Bank of Wales: “Egni’s work is a strong example of how community energy can combine environmental action with education and local ownership, while demonstrating a scalable and impactful approach to the net zero transition.”
Egni Co-op was behind the installation of one rooftop package at the Geraint Thomas National Velodrome in Newport in 2020which was the largest solar roof project of its kind in Wales at the time. That title was recently taken over by one EvoEnergy installation at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
In 2023, the Welsh Government established a state energy company, Ynni Cymru, to promote community ownership of renewable energy. £10 million to support community-led projects over a year ago.
The British government hopes its own state-backed energy company, Great British Energy, will have a similar effect. It currently supports solar on the roofs of more than 100 schools in England.
Rob Gilbert, one of the directors of Great British Energy, will be speaking at Solar Media’s Clean Energy Summit 2030which includes the UK Solar Summit 2026 in London at the end of this month.
The CP2030 Summit brings together policymakers, developers, investors and network operators to discuss the whole systems approach needed to meet the UK Government’s Clean Power 2030 target. View the agenda And book tickets to get involved.
