Many of the SCE board members attended the recent Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent COP Conference, set within the spectacular Lichfield Cathedral.  This regional climate action event brings together local businesses, communities, and organisations to collaborate on tackling climate change and building a more sustainable future. It serves as a platform to share ideas, commitments, and practical solutions for reducing carbon emissions and increasing climate resilience across the region.

As well as having our stand there, we also hosted a roundtable discussion in the morning on Community Energy.  During this discussion, we explored how Staffordshire Community Energy has been able to help tackle ill health caused by fuel poverty, by installing solar PV on the Royal Stoke and County Hospitals and funding the Keep Warm Keep Well project. This provides energy advice to NHS patients to improve their wellbeing via the Beat the Cold scheme.

We also discussed the exciting potential expansion of community energy in the light of the Government’s commitment to bring forward a Local Power Plan through Great British Energy and the vital need to gain support from local authorities across the County to maximise the opportunity.