Between September and November 2022 BWCE took on four new members of staff. Here are our new team members. We welcome them to the BWCE family and look forward to exciting times ahead as we build our profile and further develop the ability for community energy to deliver for local people.

Sara Grimes (Head of Community Business Development)

Sara is involved in programme development and leads on home energy efficiency. She worked in local government for 13 years on climate initiatives, including the Cooperation Agreement between BWCE and B&NES Council and planning policies on renewable energy and net zero buildings. Prior to this, she worked in the USA as a community organiser and as regional director of an environmental and consumer advocacy group. She is chair of Transition Bath, a charity that harnesses the power of community to address the climate crisis.

Benny Talbot (Technical Lead, Community Business Development)

Benny is responsible for exploring and developing new areas of work for BWCE, and providing technical support to ongoing projects. Having recently returned to the area after 10 years working on community led energy innovation in Scotland, his previous experience includes work on flexibility services, local energy supply, low carbon transport, hydrogen electrolysis, and the education and capacity building required to enable communities to engage with these emerging technologies. He has worked for Community Energy Scotland, Skill Share Dundee, Demand Energy Equality, and SP Energy Networks.

Dinah Darby (Admin & Networking Officer)

Dinah started with BWCE in September and is responsible for supporting the staff team in project delivery, supporting board meetings and developing and maintaining organisational systems. Dinah has a wealth of experience in administration and events coordination having worked in both the education and charity sectors for over thirty years. Currently she is involved in promoting our community share offer and she will be providing vital support around communications, networking and events as we strive to build our profile and develop stronger relationships with other organisations.

Steve Cross (Flex Community Support Officer)

Steve is responsible for mapping domestic rooftop solar installations in Bath and Shepton Mallet onto grid network maps to identify potential participants for our Flex Community Peer-to-Peer trading trial. His previous work in the Speciality Chemical Industry helped Aylesford Paper Mill in Kent to become the first major UK Newsprint Manufacturer to use 100% Recycled Paper and he also had a small part to play in the development of Quorn. Steve is a BWCE member and is involved in Go Green Widcombe, especially their group-buy solar scheme.