News - Page 2
Inside our grid battery project
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.
Community benefit from renewable energy
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.
How battery storage makes solar work better
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.
Invest in the UK’s first community-owned battery
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 […]
Outstanding year for Community Grants funding
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.
Energy efficiency and comfort in an 18th century home
I recently visited Julia Shay and Dr Martin Groves, who have lived in their 18th-century thatched cottage in Eynsham for about twelve years. The house is Grade II listed and sits in a conservation area, which has shaped almost every decision they make about improving it. The windows were one of the biggest projects to […]
How to pay for improving your home
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.
An old house with new challenges
The time needs to be right for retrofit When Lucy and Ian bought their Edwardian detached house in Eynsham 20 years ago, they had enthusiastic plans to renovate the property. They planned to tackle cold spots and areas of damp but soon found that combining full time work with a busy family life and volunteering […]
Keeping staff and kit warm at Eynsham Fire Station
Eynsham Fire Station has recently installed infrared heating panels across the building, covering the crew office, communal areas, changing rooms and the engine bay itself. The core problem with heating a fire station is that it is not a building you can ever really seal up and keep warm in the conventional sense. The engine […]
Community energy and the energy transition
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 […]
When home improvements don’t deliver comfort
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.
Warm Homes Plan: what’s new
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.