In 2023, Grimsby Community Energy (GCE) successfully raised £270,000 from a mix of large and small investors. These funds were used to install solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on two sites: CATCH, where 308kW of solar panels were installed across three buildings (over 700 panels in total), and YMCA Humber’s 1 Orwell Street, which received a 30kW solar installation. This initiative allows CATCH to benefit from affordable, clean electricity provided by GCE whenever the sun is shining, helping them advance their decarbonisation plans without any upfront cost and saving money.

Building on this success, GCE has launched their latest community share offer in 2024. Full details are available on their website. The offer is open to anyone over the age of 16, as well as businesses, which will receive public thanks on GCE’s LinkedIn and other social media platforms. The target interest rate for investors is 5%. The first project under this new offer is scheduled for October, aiming to install an additional 161kW of solar PV on two buildings at CATCH.

GCE is a community benefit society registered with the Financial Conduct Authority. Since 2016, they have been supporting local decarbonisation efforts. They own and operate solar PV systems on ten community buildings, helping organisations like E-Factor, St Andrews Hospice, and the Rock Foundation to reduce costs and carbon emissions.

Dr. Vicky Dunn, Managing Director of GCE, said, “If you care about cutting carbon emissions and want to be part of a community effort to achieve great things, consider becoming a member of Grimsby Community Energy. It’s a great local, ethical investment – our 110 members can keep in touch with the good things they have helped to fund and see the projects when they travel about town.”

Paul Snowden, Head of Operations, added, “The Grimsby Community Energy Group is a fantastic organisation for companies looking to start or continue their sustainability journey. We have benefited from their expertise and investment on-site and are very grateful for all the support. So far this year, we have generated 174 MWh, saving 33,630.35 kg of CO2 emissions. We are delighted to embark on our second project with them to install solar PV on our Scaffolding and Welding and Pipefitting Hub buildings.”

For more information on how to invest, please visit the Grimsby Community Energy website – https://grimsbycommunityenergy.coop/