Solar energy revolution in your street

Sustainable Charlbury has organised a film showing that should inspire anyone interested in making daily life more environmentally sustainable.  Power Station tells the heartwarming and often funny story of a community project that turned an ordinary residential street in Northeast London into a producer of solar electricity.  

The film follows Walthamstow-based artists Hilary Powell and Dan Edelstyn as they gain local support and raise the funds needed to put solar panels on the rooves of 30 homes in their neighbourhood. 

Showing in Charlbury

The film showing takes place at the Memorial Hall in Charlbury on 12^th March and will be followed by a question-and-answer session with Dan, one of the film makers (see below for details).

What makes the film work so well is how human it feels. Instead of focusing only on solar technology or climate facts, it spends time with the people who live on the street. We see friendly chats, awkward conversations, doubts, disagreements, and moments of real enthusiasm. Not everyone is immediately on board, and the film doesn’t hide how slow and complicated progress can be.

There is plenty of humour throughout, much of it coming from Hilary and Dan themselves. One of the standout moments shows them sleeping on the roof of their own house to raise money for the project. Watching them camp out in a double bed, next to the chimney, in mid-winter pouring rain, strong winds and snow is funny.  It is a daft stunt, but it raises cash, generates publicity and shows how committed they are to making the project happen.  

Funny with serious message

The film also gently highlights why projects like this matter. Many people want to switch to renewable energy but feel blocked by costs, confusing paperwork, or lack of support. By working together as a street, the residents find ways around some of those problems. The film makes this feel achievable rather than overwhelming.

Power Station is about neighbours, persistence, and small steps adding up to something meaningful. By the end, it leaves you feeling hopeful—and maybe wondering what could happen on your own street if people decided to work together. It also makes you laugh.