Low Carbon Hub, the Oxfordshire social enterprise behind a string of community-owned renewable energy schemes, has launched a share offer to raise money for a new solar park and battery storage project near Yarnton.
The scheme, called Common Lot Solar and Battery Park, is a 7.4 MW solar installation paired with 10 MWh of battery storage on a 23 acre site off the A44. Low Carbon Hub said the park's output is expected to total 7.9 GWh each year, with enough capacity to supply more than 3,000 homes annually and cut carbon emissions by around 1,000 tonnes a year. Construction is due to begin in Spring 2027.
Members of the public and organisations can invest through the impact investing platform Ethex, buying shares from £100 up to a maximum of £100,000 per investor. Low Carbon Hub said it is seeking to raise at least £500,000 through the offer, which is open from November 2026 to January 2027. The company said every penny of surplus profit from the project will go back into other local low carbon schemes, with the park expected to deliver £6.3 million in benefits for the community across its lifetime.
The site sits next to Yarnton industrial estate, bordered by the A44 and the Cherwell railway line, on low-grade agricultural land that is not currently farmed. Low Carbon Hub said it intends to improve the land for wildlife, adding native hedgerows, borders, a wildflower meadow, bird and bat boxes and beehives.
How the battery will work
The grid-connected battery, which has a 2 MW import connection, will store surplus electricity generated by the solar panels and sell it on when demand rises. It will also be able to draw in cheaper electricity from the grid during the day and export power later when prices and demand are higher, a mechanism Low Carbon Hub said will strengthen local energy resilience and bring in extra income for community projects.
Dr Barbara Hammond MBE, chief executive of Low Carbon Hub, said: "Common Lot represents a brilliant opportunity to get involved in community-owned energy." She added: "This is the first time that we know of a community-owned purpose-built solar site, with battery capacity being designed and delivered together from the start."
Low Carbon Hub said it runs 55 renewable energy schemes across the county that are owned by the community, among them one of the largest community-owned solar parks in the country and, at Ray Valley Solar, what it described as the UK's first community-owned battery.
This story is based on information sent to Small Cap News by Low Carbon Hub on 5 November 2026. See also: Funding and how to send us your news.
Image: Supplied by Low Carbon Hub