Mainstreaming the Movement: Reflections from Our First Time Exhibiting at the CEE Summer Conference 2026
Published date: July 2026
What an incredible day we had in Birmingham! Last month, the EnergyCoop team (previously called Your Co-op Energy) packed up our banners and leaflets and headed over to The Bond for the Community Energy England (CEE) Summer Conference 2026.
As first-time exhibitors, we weren't entirely sure what to expect, but the energy in the room was absolutely electric. The theme of this year's event was “Going mainstream: The next phase for community energy”, and it truly felt like a turning point for the entire sector.
Here is our recap of an inspiring, jam-packed day.
Meeting Like-Minded Trailblazers
From the moment the doors opened for registration at 9:00 AM, the venue was buzzing. It was fantastic to step out from behind our usual digital screens and meet so many passionate, like-minded attendees, climate action groups, and local authority representatives face-to-face.
We want to extend a massive thank you to the CEE organisers for putting together such a seamless, collaborative event and our brilliant partners at Younity. Being surrounded by organisations all working toward the same goal - decarbonising the UK grid while keeping local value at the heart of energy - was incredibly motivating.
Huge Interest in "Power Back"
Our stand was busy all day, and we were thrilled by the interest to our Power Back reward scheme which was launched earlier this year.
We had countless conversations with Community Energy Groups (CEGs) who recognised Power Back as a no-cost, seamless way to raise vital funds for their future net-zero projects. For groups already selling their renewable power to Younity, the concept of generating £25 cashback every time one of their local members switches to our Community Power Tariff really resonated.
Insights From an Informative Agenda
When we weren’t chatting with like-minded people at our stand, we managed to catch some of the stellar speaker line-up. The day was packed with high-value insights:
- The Opening Plenary: Matt Vickers (CEE) kicked things off with some fun exercises and followed by recognising that while important gains have been made, only 1% of British adults understand CEG's. To scale up will require bringing together support from both the government and the wider public to make real impact.
- Going Mainstream Panel: A standout session that tackled the big question: What will it take to make community energy a core feature of the UK energy system rather than just a policy ambition? The debates around scaling impact while preserving local roots gave us plenty of food for thought.
What’s Next?
We came away from Birmingham full of ideas and many new contacts. To everyone who stopped by the EnergyCoop and Younity stand to ask questions or grab information, thank you! We are getting straight to work this week following up on your Power Back enquiries.
If we missed you at the event but you want to find out how your community group can earn cashback through the scheme, check out our Power Back Hub or reach out to us at: YourCoop.Energy@midcounties.coop
Here’s to moving community energy into the mainstream, together!
Did you catch our team at the conference? Let us know your favorite takeaway from the day in the comments below!
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