Decentralised methods of producing and distributing energy can wrest control from the hands of monopolistic oil and gas firms, who have made record profits during the cost of living crisis, placing power into the hands of local communities.

The Bristol Energy Cooperative (BEC), a community-owned energy enterprise which has brought 17 clean energy projects into fruition since 2011, including two solar farms, has been an influential force in establishing several locally-managed projects including the ‘Water Lilies’ project in Lawrence Weston – a community ‘microgrid’ which enables citizens to power their own homes, reducing their reliance on the National Grid.