HECE Autumn Newsletter

Welcome to the quarterly newsletter from the Heart of England Community Energy.

This is your autumn newsletter with the latest news from the solar farm, including updates on performance and community impact

Solar performance

Through 2025, generation performance has continued to exceed expectations.

In Quarter 3, total generation across our three solar farms was 5,323 MWh, representing an 11% uplift on the long term average (P50) projection.

The strong performance was driven by the unusually good summer with irradiance levels remaining above forecast.

There were no major generation-affecting issues during the period.

Early repayment of bond capital

As you may already be aware, the decision to pay back bond capital was made due to the performance of the our solar farms, which has exceeded expectations.

This was due to us locking-in higher energy prices during the energy crisis of 2021.

The bonds were issued under HECE’s 2021 bond offer, and the repayment of these bonds earlier than planned is in addition to the ongoing community grant funds which continue to serve the South Warwickshire community.

Community Impact

Act on Energy

Since June, our partnership with Act on Energy has enabled the charity to support to 81 households across the Stratford and Warwick districts, helping residents improve their energy efficiency and reduce financial strain.

The assistance has included:

• Direct financial support for those struggling with energy debt

• A bundle of energy-saving items, such as electric blankets, high-efficiency LED lightbulbs, and draught excluders

  
  

The small-measures energy efficiency bundle proved to be the most in-demand service, offering quick wins for households looking to cut energy use and stay warm at home.

Read more

Solar Aid

In September 2024, SolarAid received a £20,000 grant from HECE which has been put to great use.

Over the past year, this funding has supported 17 Mayi Wala (“Shining Mothers”) groups, empowering 432 women in Malawi to become solar entrepreneurs.

There will be a detailed report in our next newsletter, or head to our website in the meantime to read more.

Know of a good cause locally?

Need information on your shareholding?

Heart of England Community Energy’s member services are managed by Ethex registrars.

HECE members can view their shareholding, transfer out funds, update their contact details and download interest and tax statements by logging into their Ethex account at:

🌐 www.ethex.org.uk📧 registry@ethex.org.uk📞 01865 403304

For any other queries relating to Heart of England Community Energy, please get in touch directly:📧 info@hecommunityenergy.org🌐 www.hecommunityenergy.org

Thank you once again to all our bondholders for your continued support.