Sustainability charity Forum for the Future has launched a new online "matchmaking" platform to pair up community energy groups and the businesses or public sector organisations that own sites or buildings that could be at the heart of community-owned schemes.
The PowerPaired website launched today with over 100 assets on offer to community energy groups, from backers including National Grid, local authorities, housing associations and charities.
PowerPaired aims to increase the number of community-owned renewable energy projects across the UK, such as solar PV arrays, wind turbines and battery storage sites.
Examples of possible sites include offices, industrial estates, schools, churches, libraries, and a homeless shelter near London's Barbican arts centre that is exploring rooftop solar power.
The charity wants to see more energy assets in community ownership, which would also generate funds for local causes while also promoting renewables and cutting fossil-fuel related carbon emissions.
Speaking to Network, Rebecca Lawson (left), PowerPaired project lead at Forum for the Future, explained that the charity had acted on feedback from community energy groups that finding a suitable site, with a willing owner, is a frequent stumbling block.
"It's difficult to find sites that are technically feasible, and where the owner is willing to host an energy asset. Volunteers can then become demotivated, as they are not able to take things forward.
"At Forum for the Future, we have a network of asset owners that want to engage with communities and reduce their own carbon footprints at the same time. So we wanted to bring the two groups together."
She also sees community energy, and community engagement, as a vital piece in the net-zero jigsaw.
"There are big system changes that need to happen, and to get public buy-in, it's important to bring communities along with you, so increasing the amount of community-owned energy assets is a great way to bring people along."
PowerPaired has also been supported by the People's Postcode Lottery and Friends Provident Foundation.
The initiative also follow changes in policy support for community energy projects, principally the closure of the government's Feed in Tariff scheme for new applicants from 1 April 2019.
National Grid believes that community-owned renewable energy is a key part of the puzzle when it comes to empowering consumers to take more control over how their energy is generated and used and reducing carbon emissions
Nicky Conway, National Grid
However, Lawson said that community groups were now devising business models that operated without FIT subsidies, and was hopeful that project numbers would return to 2016/17 levels.
National Grid has listed a number of its substations as potential sites for hosting community-owned renewables projects, with other registered asset owners including Oldham Council, Suffolk County Council, Aster Homes and St Mungo's Charity.
PowerPaired and Forum for the Future are urging other owners of assets such as land and buildings, as well as community energy groups themselves, to register.
As well as matchmaking, PowerPaired will also signpost users to a range of support tools, including legal template documents provided by partner Pure Leapfrog and support from agencies such as Community Energy England and regional BEIS funded Energy Hubs.
Pure Leapfrog, a charity that offers practical and technical support to community energy projects, is providing information about potential legal structures and models, and assisting groups where there is potential for a new business model or where specific advice is needed.
National Grid's July 2019 Future Energy Scenarios report described how "Community Renewables" was one possible pathway to meeting the government's erstwhile 80% carbon emissions reduction target by 2050. Out of the four pathways described, only two were deemed viable.
Under this scenario, 58% of the UK's energy needs could be generated by local communities, if a number of conditions are met.
Nicky Conway, sustainability manager at National Grid said: "National Grid believes that community-owned renewable energy is a key part of the puzzle when it comes to empowering consumers to take more control over how their energy is generated and used and reducing carbon emissions.
"We encourage local community groups to sign up to the PowerPaired platform so we can start to explore new projects together, and asset owners to register their own sites so we can really start seeing more movement in this space."
In its recent report, Community Energy England highlighted the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) coming to an end, with details of new export tariffs still being finalised, as one of the reasons why new projects were very thin on the ground in 2018.
Emma Bridge, chief executive of Community Energy England, said: "We're seeing a lot of resilience and determination in the community energy sector, which is made up of passionate people who are focused on making fairer, greener energy a reality for their local communities. New business models are being developed and there is a need for innovation, as well as new partner organisations such as local authorities, businesses and schools.
"This tool developed by Forum for the Future efficiently facilitates these vital new partnerships. National Grid's addition of assets to the platform demonstrates their willingness to innovate and work with communities. We applaud these innovations from both organisations and we're thrilled to see such widespread support for PowerPaired. We look forward to seeing the initiative develop and new partnership flourish over the coming months and years."
Will Humpington, climate change and environmental programmes advisor at People's Postcode Lottery, said: "I'm delighted that funding raised by players is helping to support PowerPaired. This is a hugely innovative and exciting project which is set to make a big difference to communities who would like to generate their own energy."
DISCUSSION