Building community energy projects can be difficult – especially in the early stages, when the path forward is unclear and specialist advice is hard to find. Community Energy GO (CEGO) is a new national support service that provides free, expert support at exactly that moment, helping groups in England get their projects properly established and moving.

About Community Energy GO

Community Energy GO is an innovative programme covering the whole of England. It’s an exciting partnership between CSE, Community Energy England and Ashden, alongside a wider network of partners and sector experts – including NZC Services Ltd, Empowered, Make It Count, Commonly, Communities for Renewables and Spencer West. It’s the first collaboration of its kind, focused on leveraging knowledge within the sector and building shared capacity to support new projects.

Through CEGO, industry experts will provide free technical, governance and community expertise tailored to community groups developing renewable or low carbon energy projects, setting them up for success. If you’re part of a community energy organisation and interested in contributing to delivery in the future, please register your interest through CEGO’s website.

How CEGO supports national community energy ambitions

The Local Power Plan (LPP) has set an ambitious target of eight gigawatts of local and community energy by 2030. This reflects the need for more clean energy and the wider benefits it brings to communities – including jobs, income and savings. Reaching this target will require many more community organisations and skilled practitioners, as well as significant investment in developing high-quality projects. CEGO has been created to meet that challenge while also addressing long-standing barriers in the sector: limited access to tailored early-stage support, a shortage of specialist expertise, the complexity of developing projects, and the need for stronger collaboration.

CEGO is open to all eligible groups but will prioritise underserved communities and areas that have historically low community energy activity. A wide range of community groups are encouraged to apply, including some that might not typically identify themselves as community energy groups – such as faith groups, sports clubs and social groups. By broadening the scope of who can deliver community energy, we can access untapped potential and harness local ambition into real, deliverable projects.

By the end of the two-year project, CEGO aims to have supported a minimum of 60 local groups to implement new community energy projects.

Need help with your community energy project?

CEGO is looking for community-based, non-profit groups in England working on community-led renewable or low-carbon energy initiatives. Your project should aim to deliver local benefits, such as lower bills or reinvestment in the community, and promote long-term community ownership or control.

Whatever stage you’re at – whether you’re still forming your group, mapping out potential ideas, or have reached a hurdle with a live project – we want to hear from you. Register your interest so we can discuss the level of support required. We can help with things like:

• Prioritising actions so that time and money is efficiently spent.
• Applications for funding, ensuring you receive the help you’re entitled to.
• Filling in expertise and experience gaps.
• Providing a network of resources including webinars and group learning sessions.
• Ensuring timely and targeted support to keep momentum going.
• Adapting help based on what you need – whether it’s light-touch support or more in-depth development.

Please be aware that CEGO doesn’t fund or deliver retrofit or building improvements for community buildings. If you need support with community buildings, please look at our other available services. For full eligibility requirements and to apply, visit the Community Energy GO website.