As part of the Community Energy Capacity Building Study, this Community Energy Action Plan sets out how Herefordshire Council can support community energy to deliver Net Zero objectives, lower energy costs, and strengthen local resilience.
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The Midlands Net Zero Hub (MNZH) commissioned a Community Energy Capacity Building Study across six local authority areas: Birmingham, Herefordshire, Leicester, North Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and Worcestershire. Delivered by Energy Saving Trust in partnership with Marches Energy Advice, the study engaged local authorities and community energy stakeholders through facilitated workshops to identify challenges, opportunities, and practical actions that can accelerate community-led energy delivery across the Midlands.
The study produced Community Energy Action Plans for each region, a summary report of the community energy capacity in the Midlands, and an overall guide to community energy based on the findings from the study and its workshops.
Community Energy Action Plan: Herefordshire Council
This action plan sets out how Herefordshire Council can support community energy to deliver Net Zero objectives, lower energy costs, and strengthen local resilience. Herefordshire benefits from an established community energy sector, including organisations such as Pomona Solar, Big Solar Co-op, Herefordshire Green Network, and Sharenergy, alongside a strong policy focus on renewable energy, retrofit, and fuel poverty reduction. Existing projects demonstrate successful community ownership and local benefit models, but wider deployment remains limited. The county’s rural character, collaborative governance structures, and commitment to local renewable generation provide a strong foundation for future growth if delivery barriers can be addressed.
Challenges, opportunities, and actions
The main barriers to community energy development are grid constraints, limited access to development and bridging finance, complex procurement and asset ownership arrangements, unclear delivery pathways, and reduced volunteer capacity. Rurality further increases project costs and limits access to skills, funding, and infrastructure. Many organisations also face challenges in sustaining and repowering older projects as legacy funding models come to an end.
The report identifies significant opportunities to improve coordination through a county-wide Community Energy Network, strengthen the Council’s role as a trusted intermediary, and develop a more strategic pipeline of investable projects. There is strong potential for rooftop solar on community and public-sector buildings, with around 4.35 MW of near-term capacity identified and over 50 MW of longer-term solar and wind potential.
Recommended actions include publishing a project pipeline, creating standard lease and power purchase agreement frameworks, improving engagement with network operators, supporting access to finance, establishing a Herefordshire Community Energy Forum, developing local energy supply models, and embedding community energy more strongly within council policy, planning, and procurement processes.
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