Solar power is becoming big business for a community organisation that has already enabled dozens of Bath schools to rely on the green energy source.
Ralph Allen, Peasedown St John Primary, Oldfield School and Newbridge Primary as well as Walcot Rugby Club have all installed solar panels thanks to the expertise of the Bath and West Community Energy (BWCE).
BWCE is also supporting Wiltshire Wildlife Community Energy and Low Carbon Gordano.
The Bath-based organisation is now planning to extend its support to community energy groups after signing up to the Co-operatives UK-organised Energy Mentoring programme.
BWCE, which picked up the Community Energy Organisation of the Year gong at the Community Energy Awards 2014, will provide peer mentors to help energy generation projects navigate complex financial, regulatory and organisational hurdles.
BWCE chairman Peter Capener, who was named Community Energy Awards' Leader of the Year, said: "We have been able to develop and deliver a number of local projects successfully. We learnt from others and we are now keen to pass on our practical experience.
"The more that community groups are able to share their practical knowledge and experience with other communities the quicker the sector will be able to grow and scale.
"We hope that this peer mentoring scheme will demonstrate a viable and replicable approach to peer mentoring that will support a number of community groups to make real progress – and also lay the foundations for a larger and even better resourced programme going forward."
BWCE is one of 11 organisations to have pledged support through the Energy Mentoring programme.
Energy Mentoring project leader at Co-operatives UK, Petra Morris, said: "Without the commitment from Gen Community and the other ten community energy groups, this project would simply have failed to get off the ground."
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