Maldon Powers a Greener Future
Maldon | Community Climate Action Workshop
Maldon took a major step towards a sustainable, locally owned energy future as residents, businesses, councillors, and students came together for a Community Climate Action Workshop focused on developing community-led renewable energy solutions. The event, held in Maldon, Essex, was co-hosted by eMpower Maldon, the town’s Community Energy Company, Community Climate Action and Essex County Council.
"Maldon has an incredible opportunity to lead the way in community-led renewable energy. Essex County Council is committed to supporting projects like this that help reduce carbon emissions while bringing economic and social benefits to local people." Omar Al-Amin, Energy and Low Carbon Project Development Officer, Essex County Council
Omar Al-Amin, Energy and Low Carbon Project Development Officer, Essex County Council
Community Climate Action empowers communities to write and enact their own Community Climate Action Plan, ensuring that local people drive change in Energy, Housing, Food, Biodiversity, and Transport.
"This workshop was all about bringing the community together to take charge of their energy future. By working collaboratively, Maldon can create a renewable energy system that is cleaner, fairer, and locally controlled. Seeing students, residents, and local organisations come together with real enthusiasm gives me huge hope for what we can achieve here." Joolz Thompson, Chief Executive, Community Climate Action
Project Ideas
Participants, including students and faculty from Plume Academy, Essex County Council’s Low Carbon Team, a District Councillor, a representative from St Mary’s Church and local residents, worked together with eMpower Maldon, Maldon’s Community Energy Company, to explore how Maldon can generate its own clean, affordable energy, strengthening community resilience while tackling the climate crisis.
A Day of Action: Planning, Creativity & Hands-On Learning
The event kicked off with inspiring discussions and interactive planning sessions, where attendees mapped out their vision for community-owned, democratically controlled renewable energy projects. Teams worked on real-world feasibility studies, assessing the solar energy potential for homes, businesses, and public buildings—including Plume Academy itself.
Students from Plume Academy conducted desktop research into the solar potential of their school buildings, discovering they could generate a significant amount of clean energy. Excited by their findings, they are now in discussions with their head teacher to explore next steps for installing solar panels.
Oli Gilbert, Student, Plume Academy
The day also included VR gamification to explore energy systems in an engaging way, as well as block printing and arts activities to creatively express the vision for a cleaner, greener Maldon.
Building Resilience & Powering People for the Planet
One of the key themes of the day was community resilience—how Maldon can become more self-sufficient in energy supply, ensuring lower costs and greater energy security for residents and businesses. By establishing community-owned renewable energy projects, Maldon can keep more money in the local economy while cutting carbon emissions.
"This is just the start of something big for Maldon. The more we generate our own energy, the more we can control our costs, strengthen our local economy, and cut our reliance on fossil fuels. We’re excited to work with the community to turn today’s ideas into real, working projects." John Philpot, Director, eMpower Maldon
Team | Timeline Creation
Next Steps
Following the workshop, community members will continue to develop the Community Renewable Energy Plan for Maldon, with support from eMpower Maldon and Community Climate Action. The plan will outline key projects, funding opportunities, and a timeline for implementation—ensuring that the momentum from the workshop translates into real action.
For those interested in getting involved or learning more, visit eMpower Maldon’s Facebook group or email us at Community Climate Action to start something special where you are.