Our communities are important to all Members of Plaid Cymru across Wales, but they're particularly important to me because they're part of my portfolio. So, I'd like to focus my contribution to this debate on the generation of community energy, and we've heard about that in the previous debate.

It's possible these projects could only be a small part of the energy system in future, but they are a vital part, because they will play a key role in gaining permission, increasing engagement and incorporating the kind of radical behaviour change that we will need to avoid the worst effects of the climate crisis. Communities have to be at the heart of any green change. Every community has its role to play. As Community Energy Wales said, there is increased interest from town and community councils that want to provide energy projects to get to grips with the climate crisis. The grass-roots projects are, by their nature, democratic in their structure, and this means that they promote democratic engagement. And we know that we have a deficiency in this regard in Wales. We will need to have that citizenship engagement to reach zero carbon, so we need to ask the Government to provide that guidance in the sector.

In order to unlock the potential of community energy on a wide scale, we need a long-term policy environment that is stable and supported by the Welsh Government and the UK Government. It's difficult to overstate the importance of community energy to drive that behaviour change. During the coming years, decarbonising the economy will call for significant change for consumers, such as changing to heat pumps and retrofitting our housing stock, which is often poorly insulated. Community energy organisations are acknowledged and trusted in their local areas for their community benefits, so they're vital in generating that public support and that contribution to transition to new energy sources.