Who we are | Yealm Community Energy

Our History

Yealm Community Energy was registered with the Financial Conduct Authority as a member-owned Community Benefit Society in July 2015. It was established to bring local renewable energy installations such as solar farms into community ownership.

Following surveys of potential sites in the local area with low environmental and visual impact, we have identified two solar farms suitable to bring into community ownership. We will use the profits to fund local environmental projects, and in the future we hope it will be possible to sell electricity to local consumers at favourable prices.

Governance

The rules of our Community Benefit Society can be found here:

YCE Ltd Rules FINAL.

The board of directors is drawn from our members. We welcome expressions of interest from anyone interested in either joining the board or contributing their skills. We are particularly keen to build our capabilities in marketing, financial management and commercial law.

The profiles of the current board of directors can be found here: YCE Board Profiles.

Membership

The Society is owned by its Members. Membership is open to all for the minimum fee of £1. They can vote at general meetings (one vote per member) and are eligible to be selected for the board and for the trustees of the Community Funds. Member events will include site visits to the solar farm and briefings on activities and projects (e.g. the planned data monitoring of local electricity flows). Investors in solar farms are automatically members.

You can join as a Member or as a non-voting supporter by filling the sign-up form here.

Our electricity comes from the sun

We are currently part-owners of the operational Newton Downs solar farm and will be raising money to take complete ownership in the coming 2-3 years.

We are hoping to acquire a second solar farm at Creacombe, near Yealmpton, which has planning consent but has not yet been built.

Once our second project is built, solar power within the five parishes will be generating electricity equivalent to the consumption of our 10,000 residents every year.

Be part of the clean energy revolution

Investing in Yealm Community Energy’s solar farms will give you a fair return on investment as well as contributing to future self-sufficiency in energy in the Yealm area for coming generations.

Join as a supporter to be kept informed of investment opportunities.

We hope to add storage eventually as well as supplying cheaper electricity to local consumers.

Our Partners

We are very grateful for support received from Communities for Renewables (CfR); Community Owned Renewable Energy (CORE Partners), which is backed by Power to Change and Big Society Capital; REGEN; Community Energy England and the SouthWest Devon Community Energy Partnership.