Fund our Energy Local training to launch Hull's first community energy club

We’re Power Hull, a group of Hull residents who believe we should own and control our own energy system, keeping power and wealth in our city.

We formed in November 2024, and after months of imagination, learning, and planning, we have a strong vision and the wheels are in motion. In September 2025, we completed our first installation, with a £20k solar array and battery at the Lonsdale Community Centre, funded by the Northern Powergrid Foundation. Their energy bills have plummeted, and the battery can keep the centre going for up to 2 days when the grid fails.

What’s next?

In 2026, we’re launching Hull’s first local energy club (‘Power Plangeo’) covering parts of HU3, HU4, and HU5. The BBC recently covered our plans, and now we need your help to make it happen.

Buildings with solar panels will be able to sell energy directly to people in the area, rather than selling it to the national grid and others buying it back at a premium. By cutting out the middleman, generators get more money for excess power, while residents buy cheaper, cleaner electricity.

We’ll also work with local democracy group Cooperation Hull to run ‘Power Assemblies’, giving residents direct influence over the energy club.

✅ Greener, cleaner, energy

✅ Stronger and more connected community

✅ More money in Hull, not shareholders’ pockets

What we need

To make this happen, we need training from Energy Local on how to set up and run the club.

We’ve won a grant to cover the technical side of setting up the club, and surveys to lay the groundwork for future solar power stations, but we can’t use the grant money for training. This is the missing piece we need to launch Power Plangeo in 2026.

£1,250 will fund:

*This is a safe estimate for bringing two trainers for a two day course. If we can arrange this for less, any extra funds will go towards leaflets and other outreach materials to spread the word about Power Plangeo.

Why are we doing this?

The current energy system is broken, and we need a new one! One in five Hull residents lives in fuel poverty, while £24 from every £100 of your energy bill in 2024 went to company profits.

Millions of pounds leave our city every year, extracted by big energy companies while people suffer. The energy companies aren't changing, and petitioning the government doesn't help, so we’re building the solution ourselves!

Power Plangeo is the first step towards our vision of a community-owned and controlled energy system.

Support us

Every contribution gets us closer to launching Power Plangeo and challenging the broken energy system.

Can't donate? You can still help:

Soon we'll set up monthly donations to support us as we grow.

Sources

(1) 24% profit figure: Common Wealth's Who Owns Britain project, 2024 UK household energy bill analysis

(2) 1 in 5 fuel poverty: Hull Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, 2025