A community energy group has raised £440,000 to help build the UK’s first community-owned battery alongside a community-owned solar farm.
Low Carbon Hub, a social enterprise in Oxfordshire, has now secured 80% of its £500,000 community investment target for battery storage at Ray Valley Solar near Bicester.
The solar park, launched in 2022, is one of the largest community-owned solar sites and can generate enough clean electricity to power around 7,000 homes.
The new battery will store surplus solar power that would otherwise be wasted when generation is high and local demand is low.
Low Carbon Hub said the system will make the site more useful by allowing clean electricity to be shifted into periods of higher demand, when power prices are higher and the grid is often more carbon intensive.
The battery will cost £1.8m in total, with the community share offer helping keep more of the project in local ownership.
So far, around 200 investors have backed the scheme through the Community Energy Fund, with investments starting at £100.
Low Carbon Hub said the battery is expected to save around 809MWh of clean electricity from being wasted each year, enough to power around 300 homes annually.
It is also expected to deliver an additional 102 tonnes of carbon savings every year, equivalent to taking around 45 cars off the road.
Profits from Low Carbon Hub’s renewable energy projects are reinvested into local sustainability schemes, including work to help schools, homes and businesses cut emissions.
Local Investor Eleanor Watts said: “I invested in the Low Carbon Hub because its projects help to normalise the use of renewable energy.
“I feel happy that my money has done a little bit to combat the climate emergency.”
The share offer closes on 26 June.
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