What will Forge consume?
Model the farm, ventilation, lighting, café, equipment and occupied hours together.
COMMUNITY ENERGY / LOCAL VALUE
Power the building.
Empower the community.
Explore a community-owned energy project designed to support productive activity and retain value locally. The next step is to establish what is technically and financially viable.
FORGE 01 / MIDDLESBROUGHIllustrative concept · Not a secured site
CONNECTED BY DESIGN
Four parts.
One accountable system.
Choose a stage to explore how the proposed system would work.
Solar matched to the site.
Assess usable roof area, structural condition, shading, generation yield and secure rights to install.
FEASIBILITY BEFORE FORECASTS
Every kilowatt needs a case.
What can the site generate?
Use a roof survey and generation model. Total building floor area is not solar roof area.
What remains after costs?
Assess energy prices, capital costs, maintenance, battery degradation and realistic local returns.
COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP
Local benefit must be built in.
A CIC label alone does not establish ownership of an energy project. The legal rights, control and financial benefit need their own design.
A stake. A voice. A return.
Explore direct community ownership or a qualifying community stake in a project company, with specialist legal advice and meaningful local participation.
What we need to establish
- Who owns the equipment and controls key decisions.
- How residents influence priorities and benefit allocation.
- How income, costs and community reinvestment are reported.
- How the structure meets the selected fund’s current rules.
CLEAR FUNDING BOUNDARIES
An energy project.
Within a wider regeneration vision.
Energy feasibility is one workstream. Building refurbishment, farm equipment, NCE Path development and general operations require separately justified budgets and funding.
Explore funding and readinessTHE NEXT INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION STARTS WITH US.
Help write
Middlesbrough’s next chapter.
Bring your local knowledge, a potential site, technical expertise or a funding perspective. Help us test what Forge 01 could become.
Start a conversation