CENE CEYH 1

Community EnergyLinking National and Local Action

Emma Bridge

Community Energy England

4-5 Feb 15

Fritts solar array - 1884

Brush’s wind turbine (1888)

4-5 Feb 15 3

CENE CEYH 4

What is community energy?

• Community projects / initiatives focussed on the

four strands of:

o Reducing energy use

o Managing energy better

o Generating energy

o Purchasing energy

4-5 Feb 15

CENE CEYH 5

Why community energy?

• Increased autonomy/resilience through long-term income

• Reduced energy costs• Reducing energy• Opportunities for education• A strengthened sense of place• Engages with climate change• Increase in visitors to the area

4-5 Feb 15

Solar Energy UK Conference 64-5 Feb 15

CENE CEYH 7

Overcoming obstacles

4-5 Feb 15

CENE CEYH 84-5 Feb 15

Community opposition to community support

CENE CEYH 9

Community Energy England

• Founded June 2014

• ~150 memberso c. 70% community groupso Leading renewable energy developerso Local authorities, NGOs & otherso 1st independent energy supplier just joined

• The voice of community energyo Join at: www.CommunityEnergyEngland.org

4-5 Feb 15

CEE MissionTo help create the conditions within which the

community energy sector can rapidly grow such that community energy projects become a normal

part of the work of local communities and the organisations that support them.

Or…….

Moving Community Energy from

‘Niche to Norm’CENE CEYH 4-5 Feb 15 10

CENE CEYH 11

12 Manifesto policies ...1. Ambitious climate targets 2. Pre-accreditation3. Tax incentives4. Retention of Feed in Tariff5. Community right to buy-in (aka shared ownership) 6. Grid access7. Local supply 8. Access to capital 9. Planning recognition10. Regulatory support 11. Income generation for community energy efficiency

organisations12. Policy stability

4-5 Feb 15

CENE CEYH 12

CEE support activities

• Policy (active & re-active)

• Community-2-community

• Commercial-2-community

• Community-2-commercial

• Data collection & mapping

4-5 Feb 15

CENE CEYH 13

Other support

• Community energy Support and Advice Resource / CESAR (One-stop-shop)

• Rural and Urban Community Energy Funds• Peer mentoring – Coops UK and Centre for

Social Action• DECC community energy competition• Shared ownership• Community Hydro Forum

4-5 Feb 15

CENE CEYH 14

Please let us know what you think, what you want and what we can do

Emma Bridge

Community Energy Englandemma.bridge@communityenergyengland.org

www.communityenergyengland.org

@comm1nrg

4-5 Feb 15

CENE CEYH 15

• Coops UK Energy Mentoring scheme• http://energymentoring.org.uk/

• Centre for Social Action’s Community Energy Peer Mentoring• http://www.sibgroup.org.uk/community-energy-peer-mentoring-fu

nd/

• DECC community energy competition• https://

www.gov.uk/government/news/win-a-share-of-100k-and-cut-your-energy-bills

• Urban Community Energy Fund• https://www.gov.uk/urban-community-energy-fund• Rural Community Energy Fund• http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/rural-community-energy-fund• One-stop shop/CESAR (available shortly)• Community Hydro Forum• http://communityenergyengland.org/energy/renewable/hydro/me

ntoring/

14-Oct-14