Energy co-ops: why the UK has nothing on Germany and Denmark

The community energy sector needs to look to more innovative models to survive the loss of government support and cuts to subsidies

On paper, the Sretton Sugwas solar project just outside Hereford looks a dead cert. Pitched as the UK's first community-owned photovoltaic installation on a former landfill site, the project promises to provide clean electricity for 250 homes as well as local jobs and financial returns for residents.

But getting small-scale community energy projects off the ground has never been easy. Following a raft of policy revisions over recent months, it just got a lot harder.