Egni coop is owned by over a thousand people across Wales. It installs renewables, mostly solar panels on big roofs. That is just the tip of its activity, below there is much more to it, and behind, a volcanic beginning.

Vicky Moller, Grwp Resilience explores

It started back in 1998 when Dan McCallum tried to install a single large wind turbine for community benefit in the Aman valley. There followed a bitter 18 year war against his efforts. There was local support but also anti campaigners backed by a hostile Authority crushing his every attempt. He met the slow million cuts cruelty well known to veteran campaigners. For some reason Dan was indestructible and ended up creating the two largest energy co-ops in the UK – one for wind and one for solar.

What kept him going? Why the success? The answers are linked. Dan’s humanity and humour attracted positive people to the cause. They brought the multifaceted strengths of humanity so these successful energy coops don’t just produce clean electricity from light, without harming nature, they radiate benefits in all directions.

The investors get a steady respectable return on their over £8 million of investment every year. I know as I was one of the early ones. The local community are included; Eric, pictured, made his first investment at age 84 to provide energy for his area, with a trusted company. They can invest from just £50, so it’s a share-holder community of all incomes, with just one vote whatever the investment.

The building gets cut price energy with an energy supply agreement. They are schools, sports and leisure centres, community halls – spaces doing good, easing their energy bills pain and variability. Egni funds educational inspiring teaching making use of data showing energy changes in the building.

The community benefits radiate further as Egni and Awel Aman Tawe have branched into supplying EV transport, local food, arts and now a community hub building.

When UK government under the dark Tory skies dropped all tariffs and banned onshore wind, battle seasoned Egni and AAT just pivoted and created an offer to public buildings that kept their energy costs low, and the coop’s income secure, along with the income for the mighty band of Welsh owners of the coop.

This offer was taken up by Pembrokeshire Council, commissioning Egni to turn 20 of its public roofs to become energy station in September last year. Steve Keating has now moved on, leaving a safe legacy:

“Pembrokeshire County Council has awarded a contract for the installation of rooftop solar panels on 20 local schools and leisure centres to Welsh social enterprise, Egni Co-op.”

The council website continues:

“It’s estimated that the solar panels will prevent the emission of approximately 200 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year and should save the schools and leisure centres £180,000 per year in energy costs

The systems should have an operational life of well over 30 years, and the contract aims to install over 1MW of solar PV on the schools and leisure centres over the next 18 months. 

Steve Keating, the Council’s Energy and Sustainability Team Manager, said the scheme is an example of thinking differently, saying

 “By securing outside capital investment from a social enterprise this solar power project offers the Council all the carbon savings along with major savings on operational expenditure for zero capital cost to the Council,” he said.

“The procurement model also ensures that local schools will receive excellent educational support on renewable energy and climate change topics.

“At the same time the scheme supports the ambitions of a community energy cooperative thus allowing a social enterprise to roll out further renewable energy projects in other locations and retaining as much of the supply chain benefit as possible within Wales.” 

A key part of the tender is a linked educational programme to engage schools in Pembrokeshire, alongside Sustainable Schools Pembrokeshire, to help tackle climate change. Egni’s Education Programme is called ‘We are Energy Warriors’ and has been developed by their Education Officer, Jen James.”

Lets leave the last word to the arch energy warrior, Dan McCallum:

““We’d like to thank Pembrokeshire for their innovative approach in terms of procurement – this is one of the first examples we believe of a Council in Wales awarding a large contract to a social enterprise like us.

“We are now focused on providing clean power and saving as much money as possible for schools and leisure centres in Pembrokeshire. Going forward, we want this co-operative approach to be seen as a case study in how to best tackle climate change.”