The correct answer is B - local people working together on clean energy projects. 

Community Energy is the name given to projects where groups of neighbours come together to create and manage their own energy projects.

A formal definition for community energy hasn’t yet been defined (despite repeated calls for the government to do this), so in practice it can mean many different forms of communities taking democratic control over their energy future. This can include generating, owning, using and saving energy in their communities.

[Jump to: How can I get involved?]

Examples of Community Energy projects that Possible has worked on in the past includes our Solar Schools campaign (where we supported schools across the country to crowdfund locally to get solar panels on their roofs), and the time we worked with a small town in north Wales to ensure local people benefitted from a local hydro power plant. 

What we love about Community Energy:

• Good for the climate: Community Energy projects make use of the UK’s free, natural resources and renewable energy technologies, to generate clean power for local people. This means they can stop relying on energy powered by fossil fuels, and slash their carbon emissions. 

• Cost saving. Generating your own clean energy usually means you can power your buildings at a much lower price, and much more stable, than you would if you were buying energy from the grid. With more and more people feeling the impacts of the cost of living crisis, helping more people switch to clean energy is a no-brainer.  

• Local economy: Any income raised through Community Energy projects (for example by local businesses or people buying electricity from the scheme) remains in the community and is often reinvested in things that will benefit local people. This is a stark contrast to projects like the Rosebank oil field, which is owned by Shell and Equinor (a Norwegian company) and whose profits will be taken abroad and to shareholders. 

• Jobs for life: Unlike the fossil fuel industry, renewable energy isn’t going anywhere. The jobs promised by the Rosebank oil and gas field will only be around for a few years (after that, the reserves will be used up and there’ll be nothing left to extract). Jobs in the renewable energy sector are growing significantly and more secure and futureproofed than those in the fossil fuel industry. 

Love what we’re doing?

At Possible, our vision is a zero carbon UK, built by and for everyone. We show people and politicians across the country that this is possible, and inspire practical action to make sure we get there at the speed required.

As a registered charity, we rely on donations from people like you.

If you can, please consider donating just £3 a month to support our work.