What is the issue?
A key differentiator between Community Energy projects and their commercial cousins is the increased social impact. Whilst it is a distinguishing feature, there is no standardised or common methodology that groups use to measure, monitor, evaluate and report social impact. This impacts the sector in a number of ways. At a sector level, the numbers are not as robust as we would like in order to confidently report them. Not having agreed standards also hampers the sector in raising funds, lobbying and community outreach.
What will the project try to achieve?
Pure Leapfrog are creating an adaptive monitoring system for Community Energy groups that distils the key social and environmental information about their projects. The tool will create a sector-wide standardised way for community groups to measure, monitor, evaluate and report on the impact their projects have.
This will help the sector to report with confidence to key stakeholders, including government and support groups, to improve the impact they have. Leapfrog’s experience shows that only a collaborative approach and working with the sector to develop the resources will ensure that an appropriate tool, suitable for all Community Energy groups, can be created.
Who might be interested in the project?
The entire community energy sector: groups can use it for completing their monitoring and evaluation, community energy funders can use it to fulfil much of their due diligence, community energy researchers and representatives will be able to use the outputs with confidence and community energy champions within local and central government will be able to use it to promote suitable policy for the community energy sector.