Welsh community solar co-op Egni secures £1.4 million for rooftop solar on schools and public buildings
herald.walesEgni Co-op, a community-owned renewable energy organisation in Wales, has secured a £1.4 million loan from the Development Bank of Wales to install rooftop solar panels on schools and public buildings across the country. The funding comes from the Welsh Government-backed Local Energy Fund and is expected to deliver around 2 MW of new solar capacity, generating roughly 1.9 GWh of clean electricity each year. The installations will cut carbon emissions by an estimated 4,500 tonnes over their lifetime and save host buildings money on electricity costs. Around 65% of the power generated will be used on-site, reducing demand from the grid. Egni has already installed over 5 MW of rooftop solar across more than 100 sites in Wales and reinvests surpluses into community education and energy awareness programs. This project highlights how targeted public finance can help community energy groups scale up rooftop solar without relying on large developers. For readers tracking distributed generation, community ownership models, or the role of state-backed green funds in the UK, this is a concrete example of policy meeting delivery.