Our story
In June 2025, DDCE was delighted to become one of the eleven community energy groups receiving Lottery funding through the Community Energy People project. This critical development was the next step on a fascinating journey from DDCE’s inception in September 2020.
2020
September: DDCE was founded by a group of passionate individuals. Inspired to take action following the declaration of a climate emergency by Derbyshire Dales District Council, the idea of community energy took root.
2021
January: DDCE commissioned a report called Stepping-Stones to Community Energy in the Derbyshire Dales to understand more about community energy. The report explores the important role of energy in transitioning to vibrant, sustainable futures: looking beyond a straight swap of fossil fuels for renewables, it focuses on the wider benefits to be gained through energy democracy. It also highlights successful community energy initiatives across the UK and distills the key success factors.
March: DDCE, in partnership with Matlock Town Council, made a successful bid to the Rural Community Energy Fund (RCEF). A grant of £40,000 allowed us to identify two sites for roof-mounted solar PV arrays: a 55kW scheme at Twiggs Stores and a 180kW scheme at Highfields Upper School.
2022
January: DDCE became a Community Benefit Society registered with the Financial Conduct Authority. This put us in a position to bid for RCEF Phase 2 development funds.
March: DDCE was awarded a Phase 2 RCEF grant through the Midlands Net Zero Hub. Through this, we appointed Sharenergy technical consultants to determine a technical plan and sound business case for one of the sites identified in Phase 1.
This detailed development work showed that we would need to develop community energy sites with at least 1 MWp of installed capacity to make our organisation financially viable and be in a position to launch a community share offer. We therefore needed to identify more sites than the original two in our Phase 1 project. This was a big learning for us, and we were quickly gaining understanding of the complex technical and financial landscape that surrounds the community energy sector.
September: DDCE established a partnership with Big Solar Co-op to enable the installation of solar panels on Twiggs Stores in Matlock. As an experienced energy co-operative, they were able to raise funds via a share offer and manage the installation & maintenance of the panels. We learnt a lot from their expertise, and continued to scope other rooftop sites which could benefit from Big Solar’s work.
October: DDCE received a grant from Derbyshire County Council to establish the Derbyshire Community Energy Hub – a network to support the growth of community energy in the county. It began with 5 local groups as members, and over the years has grown to 21. Together, we share knowledge and skills, troubleshoot problems, and create collaborative projects that address the needs of the sector.
November: We were honoured to be awarded the Small-Medium Organisation of the Year Award from Community Energy England, in recognition of our work!
2023
2024
March: DDCE secured a Phase 1 CEF grant to explore how to achieve sustainable energy use at Bakewell Golf Club. The project was led by DDCE board member, Dave Locke, alongside T4 Sustainability consultants. Together we identified energy efficiency measures to reduce overall energy use, alongside opportunities for on-site renewable energy generation.
The study showed that, while the clubhouse roof isn’t ideal for PV, solar arrays could be located elsewhere – on the driving range roof, as a canopy over the car park, and up to 300kW in an unused lower field. A small wind turbine would also be considered by the Peak District Planning Authority. These systems should be integrated with battery storage, and would generate more energy than the site requires. It was suggested that surplus electricity be supplied to the surrounding community via an Energy Local trading scheme.
Read about our next steps with the Golf Club project.
June: DDCE completed our first installation, in partnership with Big Solar Co-op. Twiggs Stores in Matlock received 57kWp of solar panels and are now benefiting from fixed-price, low-cost electricity bills, as well as a reduced carbon footprint. This was the first community energy project for the town, supporting Matlock’s journey towards net zero.
September: DDCE secured a Phase 1 CEF grant to explore the feasibility of installing solar canopies over car parks within the Derbyshire Dales. The project was led by DDCE staff member, Lucy Bird, alongside Sharenergy technical consultants. There are currently no community-owned solar car parks in the UK, so we took an innovative approach to investigate whether it could be a viable model.
Sharenergy shortlisted 8 potential sites across Matlock and Bakewell, but further relationships would need to be built to identify offtakers for the electricity. Locals are generally in favour of solar car parks – garnering support from 88% of respondents! One key consideration is that solar canopies are likely to cost double that of rooftop solar, so some additional grant funding or investment would be required to supplement the money raised via community share offer.
Both this and the Bakewell Golf Club project involved local community engagement and consultation, which was a wonderful way to engage Dales residents in issues of climate change and resilience.
You can view the Phase 1 solar car park report here, and read about our next steps with this project here.
2025
September: DDCE celebrated a second installation: a 200kWp solar array on Lady Manners School in Bakewell. DDCE Director, Dave Locke, was inspired by his grandchildren to approach the school in 2023. He spent time liaising with the Facilities Manager and Governors, completing solar modelling and forging a relationship with Solar for Schools, a national community energy cooperative. Solar for Schools took on the fundraising and managed the installation, and will return to the school annually to give the pupils hands-on education about solar panels and renewable energy. As Dave said, “We are all very concerned about climate change, but knowing your school is part of the solution will reduce the anxiety of pupils and start conversations at home.”
Delve into the data on this installation here…
