Despite some of the well reported obstacles to community energy, there has been a relative groundswell in local energy activity and this is attracting research, policy and, increasingly, business interest. The Community Innovation for Sustainable Energy (CISE) research project, conducted by the universities of Sussex and East Anglia (see box, The CISE project), has looked at the challenges faced by the community energy sector, what type of support projects need and how others, including utilities, could work with and learn from such projects.
The community energy sector is diverse and growing fast. More than 1,000 projects are active in the UK, covering energy saving and generation. Between 2010 and 2013 the CISE project compiled 12 in-depth case studies and surveyed 190 community energy initiatives in the UK. Examples of these are shown in the table below.
Community energy projects are not only diverse in their activities and set-ups, but also in their motivations. Issues such as rising energy costs, climate change or simply the need to improve an ageing community building can inspire action. Projects also often have aims that extend far beyond energy-based objectives. These include, for example, the creation of local jobs or bringing neighbours together, which can be as important as generating energy from renewables or saving money on heating bills.
Needless to say, community energy faces substantial challenges. Projects can struggle because of lack of funds, limited technical expertise and shortages in resources such as volunteer time. The administration, reporting and monitoring expected from grant funders can prove time-consuming and complex, while planning applications add further burdens. These come on top of the long and delicate processes of including the community in the projects.
Government policy does not always recognise these realities, and sometimes introduces measures with unhelpful time frames or changes – two solar feed-in tariff cuts, for example, first in December 2011 and again in August 2012. Groups that relied on this funding stream were forced to readjust their business plans, in some cases resulting in the cancellation of projects. Community groups have to be nimble, adaptable and flexible to make the most of whatever support measures are available.
Community energy groups could provide opportunities for utilities, and these relationships could prove mutually beneficial. Such groups often have high levels of trust and they possess valuable local knowledge. Community groups are also often ideally placed to engage with hard-to-reach groups, such as those living in rented accommodation but who may want to install a renewable energy project. These links may help utilities to develop projects with communities to meet regulatory requirements.
Community groups can also help with public engagement and social marketing on issues such as climate change and energy awareness. Such groups tend to network actively and share knowledge and experience with other groups, which could be a useful source of networks for utilities also.
As a growing sector, community energy also requires investment that utilities might be able to provide – for example by partnering community groups in public engagement or in linking community-led energy activities to larger sustainable energy projects.
Community energy groups will differ from utilities’ usual customers, stakeholders and partners. The variety and different motivations of groups means utilities need to be flexible in their approach, communications and expectations. It helps being sensitive to communities’ specific circumstances and needs, such as realising the different motivations, specific skill sets and pace of activity of different groups. For example, several groups use volunteers who cannot necessarily work to the same timescales, expectations and predicted outcomes as dedicated project development officers.
There may also be times when common ground is difficult to identify and mutually beneficial links hard to forge. Utilities are far more powerful players in sustainable energy than community groups, and hence need to be respectful of good practice if they want to engage and work effectively with community groups (see box, Tips for utilities working with communities).
A great number of people and networks are already involved in community energy and developing innovative local energy solutions. This should be seen as a pool of ideas and experience for utilities to learn from and build partnerships with, helping create a sustainable future for all.
Mari Martiskainen is a PhD researcher at the University of Sussex. Contributing authors: Tom Hargreaves, lecturer; Sabine Hielscher, research fellow; Gill Seyfang, senior lecturer; and Adrian Smith, senior research fellow.
The CISE project
The Community Innovation for Sustainable Energy (CISE) project researches community energy projects in the UK. It involves researchers in the Sussex Energy Group (University of Sussex) and 3S (University of East Anglia). It runs from October 2010 to September 2013 and is funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Science Research Council and EDF Energy. For more information:
http://grassrootsinnovations.org
Tips for utilities working with communities
1.Invest time to learn about communities’ aims and objectives, and be open and honest about how their aims align with yours.
2.Respect communities’ aims and objectives even though they may differ from your own.
3.Recognise that all communities are different. One size does not fit all. Be flexible and sensitive in your approach.
4.Understand that many community energy activists are volunteers and cannot work to the same timescales as full-time employees. Make sure it is easy for them to contact you and be ready to work to their timescales.
5.Be prepared to develop new performance metrics, which may extend beyond narrowly defined energy objectives.
6.Be aware that community energy groups often engage with various organisations, such as local authorities, neighbourhood groups and funding bodies. All these organisations may have differing expectations and commitments that community energy groups have to respond to, and these could also be very different from the expectations of utilities.
7.Legitimacy and trust in the local community are paramount for community-based approaches, requiring sensitivity from those approaching these groups from the outside.
This article first appeared in Utility Week’s print edition of 24th May 2013.
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