Power up for Community Energy Fortnight

Younity, our community energy joint venture with Octopus Energy, is throwing its weight behind Community Energy Fortnight and Co-op Fortnight 2026, as it continues its work to put community energy at the heart of sustainable power in the UK.

Since 2019, Younity, the award-winning joint venture between OurCoop and Octopus Energy that helps communities turn grassroots renewable energy projects into a reality, has been supporting green community energy generation through Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), grant and loan funding, volunteer management and project guidance.

And for 2026, Younity has now launched the Community Power Club, a new product which can provide community energy projects with a higher price for the electricity they generate. The innovative tool also offers a mechanism for community energy organisations to share this financial benefit directly with their members, domestic households or businesses who join their ‘Club’, in the form of money off their energy bills. 

Younity exists to help break down the barriers that co-operative community energy groups face when they are trying to start and grow. It does that through PPAs that guarantee to buy the clean power they generate at a fair price, giving groups the certainty they need to invest, plan and grow.

And the energy generated goes to deliver EnergyCoop’s Community Power Tariff; the UK’s only tariff on the market that is 100% powered by community-generated electricity.

Community energy organisations with PPAs can apply to Younity's Powering Communities Fund, a grant scheme that supports social impact projects. After recently confirming its latest round of recipients, the fund has now awarded £95,000 to 27 different organisations to date.

Younity, in partnership with the digital volunteering social enterprise Do It, has also built the UK's only community energy volunteer matchmaking platform Community Energy Connect, which connects groups with experienced volunteers to support their projects. Not only does the platform have a 90% successful match rate, but over half of the volunteers it has placed are under the age of 30, helping engage the next generation and bring fresh talent into the sector.

Community Energy Fortnight is a two-week annual campaign from 1-14 July that promotes local renewable energy projects, highlighting how neighbourhoods can take charge of their power and cut household bills by generating clean energy.

This year, it coincides with Co-op Fortnight 2026, the annual event to celebrate the positive impact of cooperatives across the UK, including community energy co-operatives. It runs from 22 June-5 July, with the theme: ‘Co‑operate and we can change the world’.

Michaela Cryar, Director of Younity, said: “Younity, alongside OurCoop and Octopus, now works with almost 100 groups on nearly 350 projects across the country, and we're always eager to welcome more into the family.

“As energy costs remain a struggle for many households and businesses, the role of fully renewable community energy is even more important. This Community Energy Fortnight, we’re doubling down on our commitment to support community-owned renewable energy generation, and that’s why we’ve launched our Community Power Club, to help more Community Power Groups to grow while also helping to cut bills for local people and businesses.”

Find out more at https://www.younity.coop/.