Factores intergeneracionales

346 This Strategy lays the foundation for future growth of community energy in the UK. We have explained how we are supporting community energy across the four strands of generation, reduction, management and purchasing. Both DECC and many other

government departments are removing the barriers faced by communities that want to take action on energy and creating opportunities for more people to get involved. Our vision is that every community that wants to form an energy group or take forward an energy project should be able to do so.

347 Government can support community-led action on energy, but to realise the full potential of community energy will require concerted support from many different organisations. There are many examples of partnerships and collaborations showcased in the case studies in this Strategy, but there is considerable scope to go further in providing wide-ranging support to community energy.

The organisations that can realise a step-change in community energy

348 The regulators whose processes community energy groups need to interact with, for example Ofgem and the Environment Agency. They need to ensure that processes are as simple as possible for community energy. Regulators will be working through the new groups set up through this Strategy to streamline processes and produce

guidance to achieve this.

349 Local Authorities must back community energy projects in their areas. Their

support can make a big difference to the success of community energy projects by providing them with support at key stages in their development. There are several examples of supportive Local Authorities in this Strategy, and we want this to be the norm, which is why the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change has written to all Local Authorities in England.

350 Developers of energy infrastructure need to involve communities more. This can

involve offering a share of ownership of wind turbines or a solar array. A starting point for this is the commitment from the renewables industry to facilitate a substantial increase in the shared ownership of new, commercial onshore renewables developments, but we want to see this become a reality between now and 2020. 351 Community Energy requires investment, which can come from a number of

sources. There have been many successful community share offers, and we support this model of drawing in investment from members of communities keen to share in the benefits of energy activities. We also recognise that other sources of investment are needed, and encourage finance providers to consider the benefits of supporting community energy.

352 New partnerships can expand the horizons of community energy. For example LEPs or local businesses can increase the opportunities available for community energy in their areas. We challenge community energy groups to think about how they can work best with new partners to make the most of these opportunities.

353 Community energy has vast potential. Installed capacity to generate renewable energy might grow to as much as 3GW by 2020 if all of the organisations that can support

be huge, including increased social cohesion, local economic benefits and increased awareness of energy and climate change issues.

354 Most of all, community energy is about the dedicated individuals in communities across the country who give their time to energy projects in their communities. These people have driven community energy from the grassroots, pioneering new ways to engage communities across the country in a wide variety of energy initiatives. They have paved the way for many more communities to follow.

355 We need the early pioneers to take up the challenge of sharing their expertise with other communities and to continue to make the voice of the growing sector heard. We encourage the sector to come together to do both of these. We are aware of regional clusters of

community energy groups collaborating, learning from other groups experiences and forming bodies with a more effective representative voice.

356 It is important that government does not unwittingly place barriers in the way of

community energy. We will ensure that future energy policy recognises the contribution of community energy. To this end, the Community Energy Contact Group (CECG) will continue to advise DECC Ministers, representing the diversity of community energy initiatives across the UK. This will ensure that the policy framework adapts as new technologies become available and communities trial new energy initiatives. We will also strengthen the

Community Energy Contact Group, with new terms of reference designed to ensure that the group remains representative of the growing sector and is able to effectively challenge and contribute to policy design.

357 DECC recognises the importance of building community energy into future policy. We are therefore establishing a dedicated Community Energy Unit to act as the Department’s policy lead on community energy and to take forward implementation of this Strategy.

358 We recognise that we need to build the evidence base for community energy and

understand the impact of this Strategy on the sector. We will evaluate the measures that we put into place to support community energy, including the £80m Green Deal Communities scheme, RCEF and UCEF.

359 We will survey the community energy sector in two years’ time, working with relevant intermediary organisations to reach as many groups as possible. This will enable us to get a better understanding of the nature of the community energy activities being undertaken, their geographical locations and the barriers that they face.

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