When cheap, home-produced energy has never been more vital, the UK finds itself far behind other countries in the amount of small-scale renewable energy we generate. There is huge potential for community energy to accelerate our transition to renewables whilst reducing energy bills, yet it accounts for less than 0.5% of electricity generation. Communities across the country want to build renewable infrastructure and supply clean energy locally, but energy market rules block this.

We have drafted new legislation – the Local Electricity Bill – that would enable community renewable energy projects, owned and run by local people, to sell their clean electricity locally. We are empowering tens of thousands of people to advocate for their MPs to support it, which has led to a cross-party group of 317 MPs already doing so. But to become law, the Bill also needs Government support.