What is the issue?
The new ‘State of community energy sector 2018’ report highlights the massive drop in new projects since 2015, with only one new project coming online in 2017. Community energy is a key ingredient in building local economic resilience and accelerating UK’s wider transition to a low carbon economy. Yet, policy has saddled the sector and undermined the potential for realising the many benefits of community energy. While the sector tries to innovate, costs of renewable energy keeps falling and new markets are developing. This is a key moment for the UK to set in place policies and market rules that fully appreciate the value of community energy.
What will the project try to achieve?
Green Alliance will use its expertise in policy research, communication and advocacy to recommend clear measures that the government should take in supporting community energy. The research will focus on identifying the true value of distributed community energy to the UK’s future energy system and offers recommendations on ways to reflect this in the design of regional energy markets. Green Alliance will work towards aligning different interest groups behind these recommendations and subsequently influence the policy process currently underway across the energy system.
Who might be interested in this project?
Community energy groups, distributed energy businesses and consumers, energy policy makers, regulators, distribution networks, consumer groups and a wide set of civil society stakeholders, among others, will be interested in this project and its outcomes.