London-based Energy Saving Trust, which promotes energy efficiency, conservation and sustainable energy use, has urged the UK government to invest the £3.3 billion (US$4.4 billion) pledged for the Local Power Plan to scale up community energy.
A new paper from the firm – ‘Scaling up community power: maximising the impact of the Local Power Plan’ – outlines six key outcomes to help meet the UK government’s 8GW local and community-owned energy target.
Drawing on the Energy Saving Trust’s programme experience and insights from the Centre for Sustainable Energy, Regen, and Community Energy Pathways, it sets out how to maximise the social, environmental and economic benefits of community energy nationwide.
The trust’s first recommendation is a dedicated community energy support service for all communities in England, offering guidance to simplify project development, drawing on lessons from Scotland and Wales.
The paper also calls for this service to drive capacity building and help new community energy groups professionalise. The paper calls for this service to drive capacity building and help new community energy groups professionalise.
Thirdly, the paper stresses the need for strong financial backing, retaining the £3.3 billion Local Power Plan funding proposed in the Green Prosperity Plan. It calls for grants, low-cost loans and expert support to help communities develop investment-ready projects and deliver them successfully.
The fourth outcome calls for greater awareness of community energy, with research showing only 26% of adults in Great Britain are familiar with the practice. Energy Saving Trust urges a national campaign to promote its benefits, including shared ownership.
The fifth outcome urges the UK government to embed community energy in its wider climate agenda, ensuring strategies like the Warm Homes Plan reflect its value, such as supporting home retrofits.
The final recommendation calls for an enabling policy environment to address current regulatory barriers, including a targeted revenue certainty mechanism to support viable business models and prioritising community energy in the grid connection queue.
Stew Horne, group head of sector intelligence and external affairs at the Energy Saving Trust, welcomed the UK government’s recognition of community energy in its Clean Power target. He emphasised that confirming the £3.3 billion investment should be the first step towards making the plan a success, noting that it offers a key opportunity for communities to benefit directly from the net-zero transition and strengthen the UK’s energy resilience.
The news follows growing interest in the UK’s community energy sector. Earlier this year, Ross Wolhuter, head of development for Eden Renewables, wrote a piece for Solar Power Portal outlining the community benefits associated with the company’s Forest Gate solar farm.