Forest Community Energy, in collaboration with Gloucestershire Community Energy Co-op Ltd. (GCEC) and Gwent Energy CIC have supported the Sling Community Hub to get solar PV installed – saving them money and helping them to do their bit to tackle climate change.
The Sling Community Hub is a much loved hub which sits at the heart of the local community. They cater for a variety of people through their activities from toddler groups to cafes for older residents to their quizzes and pub nights. The community hub also hosted the thermal imaging loan service pilot that AURORA ran in the winter of 2024.
39 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels have been installed by Gwent Energy CIC on the roof to generate electricity for use in the building in the day. A battery was also installed to store any surplus electricity not used so it can be used in the evenings to power the bar and beer coolers for example.
The panels will reduce the running costs of this community hub and also help them to do their part to tackle climate change.
“This project will have some very big advantages for the community in that it will lower the running cost of the building. We’ve done about 200 of these installations, and they’ve all had a big reduction in their energy bills which allows them to spend money on other services so they can run things like mums and toddlers groups and food banks” – Phil Powell, Gwent Energy CIC.
This project has been a success through a mighty team effort – Gwent Energy CIC designed and installed the panels and battery system, GCEC are funding it through their share offer and FCE helped connect the Sling Club to Gwent Energy and GCEC to make this all happen! We expect this collaborative partnership to make many more projects like this happen across the Forest of Dean.
“Sling Community Hub is thrilled that Phil Powell and his crew from Gwent Energy CIC installed the solar panels on the former Clubhouse. Our thanks go to Peter Boait of Gloucester Community Energy Coop for putting this together so it can go ahead now – long before we could have raised the funds. But in the end the biggest thanks go to Forest Community Energy who started the whole journey with the thermal imaging cameras and the Energy Cafes at the Club courtesy of the AURORA Project. Another step towards reducing our overheads and keeping the Club well into its second century!” – Mel, Sling Club Committee member.
“Our Forest Community Energy group empowers and connects people. We help those passionate to bring greener, cleaner energy, and real savings, to their communities and connect them with those who have the knowledge and experience to help make things happen. We are delighted to see this project go live in Sling. By supporting the Sling project people living in the Forest have the chance to make a real difference to both the community and the planet.” – Helen Jeffrey, Forest Community Energy
Gloucestershire Community Energy Co-op Ltd who are funding this installation have been able to do this through their community ownership model – this means that local residents can invest to own part of the installation. We are looking for people to invest in the Sling Club solar installation – anyone can invest a minimum of £250 and up to £5,000 and get a projected 3.5% annual return on their investment.
“The key thing to explain is that we are not asking for a donation, this is just like a building society, you get interest on your investment, and if you need the money back you can ask for it at any time and get it.” – Peter Boait, Gloucestershire Community Energy Co-op Ltd.
For more information how to invest: https://gloscommenergy.org.uk/share-offers/
Forest Community Energy made a short film about the project which you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oxELOz5SKU
If you’d like to talk to someone about this project, or ask any questions about investing, please email: hello@forestcommunityenergy.org.uk
