YCE celebrates earth day 2026
Today YCE is proud to be celebrating Earth Day 2026! With the theme of Our Power, Our Planet, we know this is a particularly important time to focus on how communities must work together to develop creative solutions to the climate crisis. 🌍✊
Coming to York: The People’s Emergency Briefing — a film screening and panel discussion exploring escalating climate risks, real-world impacts and collective responses. 🌍️
Join the community conversation. Register here🔗 york.earth/peb
Power Station film poster, viewing and social discussion eventPower Station film poster, viewing and social discussion event
We are putting on a film screening 🫵
In collaboration with Yor Space we are presenting a screening of ‘Power Station’ (2025) a film about power, solar, and community. Held on the 14th of April at The Angel on the Green, Bishopthorpe Road
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/powering-y...
YCE logo reveal
As we prepare for our upcoming Solar City York project we thought it would be good to officially reveal our new project logo! 👷
Design credit ellenlonghorndesign.co.uk
🏗️ More is on the way…
Abi and Richard at their DESNZ stall
Kirsten's badge for NE&Y Net Zero Summit 2026
The opening presentation of the NE&Y Net Zero Hub Summit
This week we were excited to attend two events by DESNZ and North East & Yorkshire Net Zero Hub respectively, celebrating the role of community energy in a just transition and to hear about what the sector is already achieving across the country. Plus Ed Milliband made a surprise appearance! 🕵️
Carbon Monoxide Risks in the Home - What You Need to Know, including signs of CO presence, where to place your alarm, how to test it and what to do if you think CO may be present
selce.org.uk/carbon-monox...
A big leap for solar tech! ☀️🚀
Scientists have built perovskite solar cells that hit 26% efficiency and survive wild temperature swings from –80°C to +80°C.
Even after extreme stress testing, they kept 84% of their performance...a major step toward ultra‑durable, space‑ready solar power. 🔋🌡
Yesterday, we were pleased to present at the Seeing is Believing online event, discussing what the local power plan means for us in the North East and Yorkshire region.
It was great to share the lessons we have learned with colleagues across the region.
European natural gas prices keep on rising and have now more than doubled )+134%) in just four weeks from €29/MWh on 17 February to €67/MWh today.
Geopolitical tensions and wars always drive up gas prices. That's not a bug in the system. It's a feature of fossil fuel dependence.
Heat pumps are the most efficient heating technology ever invented.
They harvest and compress pre existing heat in the air, ground or water and transport it where it is needed.
That energy is all around us. It does not have to pass through the Strait of Hormuz or any other geopolitical chokepoint.
Last week, we joined York SU’s 'New Year, Same Planet' Sustainability Fair - It was encouraging to speak to students and staff about the work we are doing to create a sustainable York for the present and to put them to the test with our Energy Hunger Quiz! 💡😋
In case you missed it on Friday, our 6th share offer is now live! Thanks to our first two investors who joined us over the weekend 💙💡
With share offer VI, our mission is to: 💡 Raise £39,000 for lighting improvements at Marvels Lane Primary School. 💡 Save the school £79,000 over 10 years, and 71,000kg in CO2e emissions.
💡 Achieve this with no upfront cost to the school. 💡 Any project surplus also goes to supporting our fuel poverty alleviation programme.
Invest Today at: selce.org.uk/shares Please note that Selce is neither qualified nor authorised to offer investment advice. Those interested in participating should make their own assessment of the offer, should take note of any risk factors described in the documents, and may wish to take independent financial advice. Capital at risk.
In case you missed it, on Friday, our 6th share offer went live...
Thanks to our first two investors who joined us over the weekend 🎉🎉
Please share this message so we can reach more potential members & hit our target!
@commenergyengland.bsky.social and partners have put together an open letter calling on the government to fully implement the Community Energy sector report (2025), removing barriers to citizen-owned power
Join us in signing by March 2nd✍️
actionnetwork.org/forms/open-l...
Check out our latest blog about the release of the government’s new local power plan 👇
yorkcommunityenergy.org.uk/ownership-ma...
Richard Lane, a middle aged white man with a characteristic look of slightly panicky concentration about his eyes as he smiles for the selfie, and Kirsten Ayris, a younger women with long dark hair, glasses, an entirely more natural smile, and who just had a birthday this week (so wish her a happy birthday when you see her) standing huddled together wrapped in coats and scarfs in breezy conditions on a clear but cold day in front of York Fire Station.
This week directors Rich & Kirsten were doing some freezing cold filming at one of the sites we did feasibility for, funded by the Community Energy Fund. Is it going to get community solar? No - it got Mayoral Renewables Funding after we'd done the work. C'est la vie! And more rooftop solar = good.
Richard blowing into a pipe on a construction site
Richard blowing into a pipe on a construction site
Last week we were delighted to visit the site of the Lowfield Green housing co-op under-construction in Acomb.
Richard particularly enjoyed learning a new pipe instrument!
OK I've had a read of the Local Power Plan. It's very welcome and very needed (ideally seventeen years ago but better late than never!) Big incentives for meaningful collaboration with communities & a clear steer that "Ownership matters". Putting community energy up front in the transition ✔️ (1/3)
Document cover titled "Local Power Plan - February 2026." Logos for Great British Energy and the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero appear at the top. The bottom half is a colourful, geometric illustration showing clean energy infrastructure—including wind turbines, solar panels, and power lines—interspersed with diverse community members and energy-efficient homes.
The publication of the #LocalPowerPlan - backed by £1 billion - represents the largest public investment in #CommunityEnergy in UK history.
It’s a decisive step towards putting real power, ownership and long-term economic benefit into the hands of communities.
This is just the beginning...
1/
Following the release of the Local Power Plan we spoke to BBC York about our Solar City York project 👂
🤩 Stars in our eyes!
More of the Passivhaus retrofit project that is starring in Guy Martin's House Without Bills on Channel 4 on Monday 9 February at 9pm!
Fact Since 2022, YCE has partnered with Solar for Schools to build solar arrays on 9 schools across York. We've installed 1.15MWp - that's enough to power around 350 homes a year!
Did you know?
Community energy is a vital part of a just transition. Putting power back into the hands of local people allows them to take real action in their area. Collectively people can achieve real change, shifting the focus away from just the smaller, lifestyle changes to the systems we rely on.
York Energy Advice presents, Lunchtime Concert & Energy Cafe Fri 6 Feb 2026, Music from 12:30-13:30 & Energy Cafe 13:40-14:30 St Saviourgate Unitarian Chapel, St Saviourgate, York, Y01 8NQ Join us for great music and company to raise funds for the York Energy Advice free support service Listen to David Hammond, piano (performing E. Grieg, A. Dvořák, E. Satie & more) and Esk, viola & guitar (with original contemporary folk tunes), followed by an Energy Cafe, where you can find out more about the services we provide to York residents Tickets: £5 cash on the door, tea and cake by donation
Join us on Friday the 6th of February (12:30 - 14:30) for great music and company to raise funds for the York Energy Advice free support service.
Book ahead and optionally pay by card payment at www.tickettailor.com/events/yce/2...
Since 2021, York Energy Advice has supported 780 households, and provided free energy-saving measures such as (LED bulbs or Radiator foil) to over 300 of them.
Want to be part of the change? yorkcommunityenergy.org.uk/get-involved...
Thank you!
☀️ What might the year ahead hold for community energy?
Find out more about what we're hoping for in 2026 at our upcoming free lunchtime webinar, Community Energy and the Energy Transition.
Register here 👉 tinyurl.com/2d66kwsq
Join us Thursday the 29th of January for another Energy Drinks to chat all things energy Welcoming York Community Energy members and non-members alike for a sociable evening (no-alcohol welcome) Free entry, no booking is required. You can register interest at tickettailor.com/events/yce Duke of York pub, King's Square, York, YO1 8BH
Join us Thursday the 29th of January at Duke of York pub, King's Square, York, YO1 8BH for another Energy Drinks to chat all things energy ⚡
Card reads 'Happy new year from YCE'
Happy new year!
🧑🎄 Merry Christmas from YCE!🎄
We are delighted to be taking a well deserved break, but we have big projects coming up in the new year.
With the launch of our Solar City York Project we hope to turbocharge York's solar future. ⚡❄️
