NEWS

Battery storage is the next frontier for community energy. Here's what we learned building the case for a 3MW battery at Ray Valley Solar – and why the timing matters.

What does a grid-scale battery actually look like on the ground? This post takes a detailed look inside the 3MW / 12MWh battery planned for Ray Valley Solar – explaining how it works, what equipment is being installed, and why those engineering choices matter for performance and long-term returns.

As the UK builds renewables at pace, who actually benefits? Our second Community Energy Insights webinar of 2026 explored what meaningful community benefit looks like in practice – and why the window to act in Oxfordshire is right now.

Ray Valley Solar, the UK’s largest community-owned solar park, is adding a 3MW / 12MWh battery to reduce curtailment, shift electricity to peak demand, and increase long-term community benefit in Oxfordshire.

Will you invest in the Community Energy Fund and help install the UK’s first community-owned battery? Low Carbon Hub is re-launching our Community Energy Fund to raise £1.3 million in community shares to install battery storage at Ray Valley Solar, one of the UK’s largest community-owned solar parks. The battery will be the UK’s first community-owned battery co-located with a community owned solar park and represents the […]

It's been our best year yet for community grants. In 2025–26, Low Carbon Hub awarded £31,500 to community groups across Oxfordshire — funding projects from draughtbusting affordable housing to building a community shop with rooftop solar. Here's what our members have been doing.

A plain-English guide to paying for home energy improvements in 2026, including what the Warm Homes Plan means for grants, loans, and getting started with retrofit.

Our recent webinar brought together community energy practitioners, policy-watchers and engaged citizens to take stock of where the UK energy transition stands, and, crucially, what role community energy can and should play as we move into the next phase. Led by our CEO, Barbara Hammond, the session moved from big-picture system trends to the reality […]

Renovating your home doesn’t always make it more comfortable. This article explains why some home improvements fall short, and how thinking beyond renovation can improve comfort, air quality, and long-term health.

The Warm Homes Plan promises major investment in home upgrades. Here’s what’s actually new, how the support works, and what it means for cutting bills and improving your home.

In a world where ‘more stuff’ seems to be the go-to gift for kids, many of us are looking for something that means a little more. That’s where one of our best-kept share offer secrets comes in – the ability to apply for shares on behalf of children that become theirs when they turn 16. […]

Our next thermal imaging training workshop for Low Carbon Hub and CAG Network community groups has a new date and takes place on: Wednesday 14 January 2026, 6.30pm – 8.30pm, at the John Wesley Room, Wesley Memorial Church, New Inn Hall Street, Oxford OX1 2DH. Our thermal imaging training workshop, led by Paul Buckingham, offers community groups the chance to learn how to feel confident using a thermal imaging camera to help […]