Illustration of solar panels feeding energy into community microgrids (credit: @laurence_ware_design)

Future of Cities

People power: how can community electricity grids help tackle the energy crisis?

A small-scale ‘microgrid’ scheme in Lawrence Weston is helping a group of Bristol homeowners take power into their own hands – but how can we supercharge community energy projects to benefit everyone?

Revealed: Over half of Bristol’s rental homes would fail to meet proposed new energy efficiency standard

Councillors sign off 20-year deal aimed at decarbonising Bristol’s energy networks

Image of Abi Hill, Loco Klub's venue manager, with programming manager Sam Patching (credit: Aphra Evans)

Edition 31

Bristol venues brace for another challenging winter in face of energy and cost of living crises

Independent businesses are being hammered by rising energy bills as cost of living rises force customers tighten their purse strings.

Features

October’s energy price cap rise fuels concern and community action

Image of a barn at Perrinpit Farm, Frampton Cotterell, which would become a bat house (Image: Perrinpit Road Solar Ltd/Savills)

Reports

Huge solar farm on green belt near Frampton Cotterell set for green light this week

Why community action is also needed to tackle the energy crisis

In the face of government inaction on the energy crisis, Bristol Energy Network has been organising grassroots action to stop people from falling into fuel poverty.

Research reveals Bristol neighbourhoods most at risk from energy crisis

Climate group Friends of the Earth has identified Bristol communities with high energy usage and low household incomes, amid calls for meaningful action to prevent hardship in winter.

City Leap: a billion pound leap of faith towards net zero?

The ambitious plan for private sector investment in cutting carbon was recently delayed again. After the recent Bristol Energy fiasco, City Leap is set to come under even greater scrutiny.

Council owned Bristol Energy put up for sale amid controversy

Opposition councillors are demanding a full inquiry into loss-making Bristol Energy after the city council put it up for sale.

Good money after bad? Bristol Energy’s spiralling losses

Market conditions have been killing off small private energy suppliers up and down the country. Bristol Energy is by no means immune and keeps on tapping council tax payers for more money in the wake of huge losses – so is it time the council-owned firm was wound up?

Planning officers recommend APPROVAL of St Philip’s Marsh gas plant

Local campaigners are dismayed that power generation could happen 80m from a nursery school.