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The Tech We Use

How We Started

Constructing a Digital Powerhouse

When we started Forest Community Energy (FCE) in April 2025, our goal was very clear: to use renewable energy to power our community. However, we had to first equip ourselves with a strong digital infrastructure to handle membership, internal and external communications, collaborations, member shares, local partnerships, and prepare for eventual share offers.

With a "drop-dead" target of October 2025 to have our new website, email, branding, and storage fully operational, we had to move fast - without cutting corners on security or compliance. Here is how we built our digital foundation.

The Strategy: Cloud-First & Compliance-Led

From the outset, we chose a cloud-based approach over self-hosting. For a new Community Benefit Society (CBS), the hardware and maintenance costs of physical servers were simply unjustifiable. The cloud offered the agility and ‘setup’ speed we needed to meet our October deadline.

However, "cloud" did not mean "careless." We discussed, created, and put into place a clear hierarchy for our digital setup:

  1. Geography First: A preference for UK/EU-hosted solutions.
  2. GDPR Rigour: Suppliers have to be completely compliant with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the Data Protection Act. This includes having signed Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) and Data Processing Agreements (DPAs), if hosting in the UK or the EU was not an option.
  3. Security Essentials: All key data must be encrypted at rest and in transit, supported by a rigorous, isolated backup policy.

Our Selected Tech Stack

We adopted a "lean and scalable" philosophy—implementing only what was absolutely necessary for today, whilst ensuring the door stays open for tomorrow's growth.

Key Decisions & Compliance

1. Ghost.io: Simplifying Engagement with an All-in-One Publishing Hub

Our selection of Ghost.io - originally recommended by the Net Zero Terrace Streets (NZTS) project—was one of the cornerstones of our CBS digital infrastructure. In line with our overall systems approach; cloud-based over self-hosting, we opted for the hosted version of Ghost (Pro). The fact that Ghost.io’s primary servers are in the EU (The Netherlands) also ticked the boxes regarding our ‘Geography First’: a preference for UK/EU-hosted solutions & therefore ‘GDPR Rigour’ requirements.

Why We Adopted Ghost

The primary technical advantage is the native integration of website and newsletter functions. By using Ghost (Pro) we have merged the CMS (Content Management System) and ESP (Email Service Provider) requirements. In so doing, we have simplified this area, eliminating the potential friction of managing separate platforms like WordPress and Mailchimp. As a result we benefit from:

  • One-Click Publishing: When we "publish," the content either goes to the website or, in the case of newsletters, directly to members' inboxes. This keeps our messages and branding consistent, and saves us managing two systems. The newsletter automatically promotes our recent posts as an additional benefit.
  • Simple Member Management: We have the ability to easily promote sign-ups and manage our newsletter audience. No messy extra add-ons or plugins required.

This consolidation provides us with a high-performance publishing hub that keeps our technical stack lean and our community engagement high.

2. The Proton Assessment: Why Privacy Overruled Convenience

The selection of our main productivity suite was an early but crucial step in our IT setup. For most organisations, the default is a ‘pick’ between Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. However, for FCE, we conducted a detailed comparison against Proton, ultimately choosing the latter.

Here is why we strayed from the "Big Tech" path: 

We accepted that choosing Proton meant sacrificing some "bells and whistles" found in Google or Microsoft, i.e., such as advanced AI writing assistants or deeper/easier integration with hundreds of third-party apps. However, we viewed these features, in terms of FCE’s needs, as "unnecessary frills" that compromised our key imperative: providing the highest possible level of data integrity for our members.

By selecting Proton, we ensured that from day one, FCE’s internal communications and member data were shielded not just from hackers, but from the service provider itself. This choice reinforces our commitment to being a community organisation that puts the safety of its members' information above technical "flashiness" or expediency.

3. The AirTable Assessment

Our membership register (and eventually our share register) is managed via AirRegister, a tool designed by leading community-share practitioners. Because it is built on AirTable, the data is currently hosted on US servers (under our free-tier plan). We performed an in-depth assessment of their security protocols to ensure that, despite the geography, our members' data stays protected under strict contractual safeguards.

4. To Register or Not to Register? (The ICO)

While FCE initially met the narrow criteria for exemption from Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) registration, we chose to register anyway. We believe in initiative-taking transparency. As we grow, we will eventually move into "registrable territory." Putting this in place now makes sure we stay ahead of the curve and keep our members' trust at the highest level.

5. Membership Payments

To make joining FCE as easy as possible, we have chosen SumUp for use at in-person events, and GoGetPaid for online membership registrations.

Ghost.io does offer direct website integration with Stripe however, this was discounted due to the level of charges involved. SumUp & GoGetPaid were selected for their cost-effective models, ensuring that more of our funds go toward local energy projects rather than on bank fees.

Looking Ahead

By October 2025, we reached our goals successfully. Currently, FCE operates on a streamlined annual IT budget of around £600.00, primarily covering licenses and subscriptions for our website, apps, and registrations. This setup proves that community organisations can be both technologically advanced and budgetarily responsible.

Our digital platforms are up and running, our data is secure, and we are now poised to concentrate on what truly matters: driving the green energy transition in the Forest of Dean.

If you would like any further details on the above, do get in touch via email.