Ray Valley Community Solar Battery Hits 80% Funding Mark

The Ray Valley solar battery project has secured 80% of its £500,000 community funding goal with over a month left in the share offer. This puts the UK’s first community‑owned battery on track to store surplus solar power and cut waste.

Low Carbon Hub launched the Ray Valley solar park in 2022 near Bicester. The park’s panels generate enough clean electricity to power about 7,000 homes. On sunny days, excess output often exceeds local grid capacity, causing curtailment and lower earnings. Adding a battery captures that surplus for later use, making the power more reliable day and night. Low Carbon Hub is a social enterprise that runs 56 community‑owned renewable projects across Oxfordshire and directs all profits into local sustainability work such as retrofitting schools, improving home insulation, and advising businesses on energy efficiency.

- The share offer opened on 26 March 2026 and will close on 26 June 2026. So far, 200 investors have contributed £440,000, reaching 80% of the £500,000 target. - The battery system costs £1.8 million and is being financed entirely through community investment via the Ethex platform, with minimum stakes of £100 and a maximum of £100,000 per investor. - Dr Barbara Hammond MBE, CEO of Low Carbon Hub, said the strong response shows excitement for the UK’s first community‑owned battery alongside a solar park and that exceeding the goal would increase local ownership and reduce loan reliance. - The battery is expected to save 809 MWh of solar electricity each year—enough to power roughly 300 homes—and to deliver an additional 102 tonnes of CO₂ savings annually, equivalent to taking about 45 cars off the road.

Storing surplus solar energy allows the park to sell power during peak demand when grid carbon intensity is higher, improving both revenue and emissions impact. Community ownership means profits flow back into local sustainability projects via Low Carbon Hub, which already manages 56 renewable schemes across Oxfordshire. Investors receive a fair return on their stake, and the surplus cash is earmarked for initiatives such as installing LED lighting in village halls, funding home‑energy audits, and supporting community‑led carbon‑reduction plans. With more than a month remaining, the campaign could surpass its target, lowering the need for external loans and increasing the share of assets held by residents.