Our Annual Report: A year of progress towards a zero-carbon future
Our Annual Report and Accounts for 2023/24 is now published, covering a year of change and continued progress towards a zero-carbon future for Oxfordshire.
You can now read the full report online here, but we also wanted to share some highlights from the report:
Project LEO to LEO-N
The groundbreaking Local Energy Oxfordshire (LEO) project successfully concluded in March 2023, demonstrating the effectiveness of localised energy systems for sustainability and community resilience. Building upon the success of LEO, Low Carbon Hub is now focusing on the next stage: Local Energy Oxfordshire – Neighbourhoods (LEO-N), an initiative aimed at fostering community-driven decarbonisation at the neighbourhood level. LEO-N will involve coordinating efforts between communities, network operators, and local authorities to optimise energy use and reduce costs.
Financial Strength and Community Benefit
Low Carbon Hub’s portfolio of community-owned renewable energy installations, including rooftop solar and the Ray Valley Solar ground mount solar park, continues to generate a sustainable income stream that supports further carbon-cutting activities and attracts additional funding from grants and contracts. We have now reinvested over £1 million of income from our renewable energy projects back into the community. This investment has been leveraged to attract an additional £13 million in grants and contracts, resulting in a total community benefit spend of £14 million.
Empowering communities and schools
Low Carbon Hub is actively supporting community action on climate change through our network of 46 low-carbon community groups. We offer training, advice, and support to help these groups build vibrant and sustainable neighbourhoods. Additionally, the Action on Carbon and Energy in Schools (ACES) programme has helped over 100 Oxfordshire schools reduce energy use and carbon emissions.
Focus on innovation and partnerships
Low Carbon Hub is committed to driving innovation in the energy sector. We continue to explore opportunities including local energy trading and smart retrofit schemes. We see efficient collaboration as crucial for achieving a successful and just clean energy transition, working closely with stakeholders within communities, network operators, local authorities, universities, and businesses.
There’s much more to say about what we’ve been doing over the past financial year, so please do look at the report in full here.