In a move that combines sustainability with community support, UK energy supplier E.ON has launched a new solar-sharing pilot project in East London, aiming to demonstrate how local solar generation can reduce energy bills and lower carbon emissions—all without incurring upfront costs for public institutions.
The pilot centres around St Luke’s CEVA School in Canning Town, where a new 270-panel solar installation is expected to generate around 100MWh of clean electricity annually, covering nearly half of the school’s energy needs. E.ON is fully funding, installing, and maintaining the system, enabling the school to save over £7,000 annually, which will directly benefit both students and the surrounding community.
But what sets this initiative apart is its community sharing model. Any surplus solar power generated onsite will be offered to nearby homes at a discounted rate, using half-hourly metering data to match solar generation with household usage—no physical connection required. Residents will see the savings reflected as credits on their energy bills.
Ramona Vlasiu, COO of E.ON Next, called the project “a proof of concept” for how local energy sharing can unlock both economic and environmental gains. “But we need regulatory reform to make this scalable across the country,” she said.
E.ON is using the pilot to push for policy changes, especially around how environmental and social levies are applied to energy bills. Currently, green energy projects often face the same levies as fossil fuel-generated power—an issue E.ON argues is penalising local, cleaner energy initiatives and deterring broader adoption.
The company is urging UK regulators and lawmakers to remove these levies for locally used renewable energy, arguing that doing so would boost investment while reducing overall grid costs, since locally used power doesn’t require long-distance transmission.
The announcement comes as Ofgem reviews how energy network costs are distributed, with calls growing louder to restructure pricing to favour local, low-carbon generation.
Echoing E.ON’s concerns, The Right Reverend Roger Morris, Bishop of Colchester and chair of the Diocese of Chelmsford’s education board, said: “We’ve somehow made solar power more expensive than fossil fuels by stacking on unnecessary costs. This pilot reminds us how abundant and affordable solar energy truly is.”
The London pilot could serve as a model for replicable, decentralised solar sharing systems, reinforcing E.ON’s commitment to a fairer and more resilient energy future, one rooftop at a time.
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