Webinars, wins, and water power: What’s happening at Carbon Co-op 🌊

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Subject: Webinars, wins, and water power: What’s happening at Carbon Co-op 🌊

Hi Friend,

Welcome to the latest edition of the Carbon Co-op members' newsletter!

As the summer break approaches and the pace naturally shifts, you might expect things to quieten down but at Carbon Co-op, our community energy momentum is doing anything but slowing. This month's edition is a celebration of big project wins, grassroots community power, and the advocacy work driving systemic change across Greater Manchester.

Behind the scenes, we are thrilled to have secured the next iteration of the 'Energise Manchester' project to deliver crucial energy advice to vulnerable households in our local neighbourhoods. At the same time, we've been taking our place-based models straight to decision-makers, recently hosting high-profile learning visits with Greater Manchester policymakers at our Levenshulme Area Based Retrofit scheme to discuss how we can scale up retrofit solutions.

We’ve also been out and about celebrating community power on the ground from inspiring conversations at Stockport’s Greenstock festival to our upcoming in-person tour of Stockport Hydro this weekend. Finally, we invite you to look to the future with us in an upcoming webinar, based on research from the Centre for Sustainable Energy, Sussex University and King's College London. In the webinar Carbon Co-op is a key case study, for the research looking at the hidden and vital role that households play in making smart local energy systems actually function.

Before you head off for the summer break, grab a cool drink, catch up on our latest updates, and see how you can get involved. Thank you for being an active, vital part of our co-operative community!

Exciting News: 'Energise Manchester' is back! ⚡

A photo of carbon co-op staff members in orange 'Energise' hoodies talking to people at a street stall

We are thrilled to announce that Carbon Co-op has been successful in our bid for the latest iteration of 'Energise Manchester'! Over the next 18 months, this vital project will deliver grassroots, community-based energy advice tailored to support vulnerable households across South Manchester.

Our team will be hitting the ground to build meaningful relationships with residents at local community events, host practical energy-efficiency workshops, and offer personalized energy advice and signposting. We are kicking things off immediately by focusing on the Longsight and Levenshulme neighbourhoods, before heading over to Moss Side and Rusholme in 2027.

To make the biggest impact possible, we need your local connections! We are actively seeking partnerships with local community groups, resident associations, and organisations in these areas. If you know a group that would love to team up or would value hosting an energy-efficiency workshop, please get in touch.

⚡ Learn more about Energise Manchester

📨 Connect us to a community group

Local Leaders Visit Levenshulme Retrofit Scheme to Talk Scaling Up 🏡

A photo of Jonathan Atkinson, B4Box Partners, and a Levenshulme Area Based Scheme householder standing alongside Traffor Council Leader, and Salford Mayor outside a home that has had blue external wall insulation fitted.

Alongside our partners B4Box, we hosted Salford Mayor Paul Dennett and Trafford Council Leader Tom Ross at our Levenshulme Area Based Retrofit Scheme. We demonstrated how our community-led intermediary model simplifies the retrofit journey for householders by combining contracting, training, and finance into one neat package. It was a brilliant opportunity to look at how we can overcome barriers like financing and delivery quality, and to discuss how this place-based model can be scaled up to meet Greater Manchester’s massive home energy challenge!

👉 Learn more about our community-led retrofit work

This Weekend: Tour Greater Manchester’s First Community Hydro Scheme! 🌊

A promotional flyer for the Stockport Hydro visit with an aerial photo of the hydro station

As part of our Fuelling Greater Manchester series, we are wrapping up the summer season with an exciting site visit to Stockport Hydro this coming Saturday 11th July at 11:00 AM.

Stockport Hydro is a true pioneer—it is the very first community-owned hydroelectric scheme in Greater Manchester. Completed in 2012, the project generated an incredible 100,000 kWh of clean electricity in its first ten months alone. It stands as a brilliant example of what local communities can achieve when they pull together to build and own renewable energy assets.

We will be met by the scheme's wonderful volunteers for a 90-minute guided tour split into four fascinating stations:

The Powerhouse: Get a look at the engineering and see the plant in active operation.
The Decking: Observe the river flow, wildlife, and how debris is managed.
The Downstream Bank: Learn about the history, community ownership model, and local funding.
The Car Park: Discover the wider water cycle, green energy integration, and future plans.

Who is this for? Whether you are a community energy enthusiast, a DIY engineering fan, looking to set up your own local energy project, or just curious about how we can harness the power of the River Mersey to tackle climate change — everyone is welcome!

After the tour, we’ll be heading over to the beautiful grounds of Chadkirk Chapel for an optional community picnic (bring your own food and drink!). If the summer weather lets us down, we’ll retreat to the cosy café at Dobbies Garden Centre instead.

👉 Reserve your free spot on MeetUp here

(Note: When registering for a free MeetUp account, you can simply click “enable free access” if it asks for bank details.)

Community Power in Action: Looking Back at Greenstock 🌿

A top down photo of people making community energy themed badges at the Greenstock Carbon Co-op stall

On Saturday 27th June, the Carbon Co-op team joined forces with Greater Manchester Community Renewables (GMCR) at Stockport's annual Greenstock festival to celebrate local sustainability.

We hosted a Fuelling Greater Manchester session to talk about expanding community-led energy across the region. Here is what local residents told us they want to see next:

Real-World Case Studies: There is a strong interest in learning from successful projects, particularly solar PV installations on local schools and community buildings.
A Roadmap for Action: People are eager to learn the exact steps required to join an existing group or set up a brand-new community energy project.
Inspiring the Next Generation: Beyond the technical chats, we loved getting creative and making custom community power badges with children at the festival.

Want to make sure you catch our next local event or workshop? Join our dedicated network to stay informed.

👉Join our Fuelling Greater Manchester MeetUp group for free

Upcoming events

A promotional flier for the webinar: “Household and Community Labour in Smart Local Energy Systems: Findings from our research“

Webinar: Who makes Smart Energy Systems Work?

📅 13th July | ⏰ 1pm

📍 Online via Zoom

Discover the hidden, vital role households play in making smart grids function, featuring insights from our PowerShaper Flex trial.

Site Visit: Stockport Hydro Tour & Picnic

📅 Saturday 11th July | ⏰ 11:00 AM

📍 Stockport Hydro

Join us this weekend to tour Greater Manchester's first community-owned hydro scheme! See the powerhouse in action, chat with volunteers, and stay for an optional picnic at Chadkirk Chapel.

Registered under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, registration number 31342R

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Subject: Webinars, wins, and water power: What’s happening at Carbon Co-op 🌊