The Community Energy Fortnight
The Community Energy Fortnight is an initiative of the Community Energy Coalition. Running from 24th August - 8th September, events will be taking place right across the UK. Through these events, we aim to engage and inspire people about the wide-ranging benefits of community energy, and to generate support for our vision of community energy at scale in the UK by 2020.
Vote for a clean energy revolution with communities at its heart.
We're calling on the UK Government to provide greater support for co-operative and community-owned energy projects. To add your voice to that call, visit this page to sign the petition, which will be presented to the UK Government during Community Energy Fortnight.
> What exactly is the Community Energy Coalition?
About us
The Community Energy Coalition was formed in 2011, born of a desire to make community energy at scale in the UK a reality by 2020. Membership includes many of the UK's most trusted and influential civic society organisations, including The Co-operative, the National Trust, the Women's Institute and the Church of England, as well as representatives from the community energy sector. We have a combined reach of 16 million people. For the full list of members, click here.
You can hear Will Dawson, Principal Sustainability Advisor at Forum for the Future, talking about the Community Energy Coalition below;
Currently, 99% of the energy generated in the UK is supplied by just six companies – but this doesn’t have to be the case. We want to start a revolution with communities at its heart, which will drive a clean, affordable and secure energy system for all.
The work of the Coalition is split into two parts:
The Secretariat
We’ve been successfully lobbying Government since 2011, through a series of roundtables attended by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. You may have spotted that Ed Davey says he wants a community energy revolution in the UK, too.
DECC recently ran a Call for Evidence on Community Energy. Have a read of the paper we submitted here.
You can also see videos from the members of the Community Energy Coalition from our 18th October roundtable with Ed Davey below.
The Community Energy Fortnight
As part of the campaigning work of the Coalition, 2013 sees the first ever Community Energy Fortnight! This series of events is taking place right across the UK from 24th August – 8th September, and will engage, inspire and inform people about the benefits of community energy. For the latest information on events, click here.
> And what exactly is 'community energy'?
Community Energy
What is it?
Community energy covers a range of collective actions, from saving, to purchasing, to managing and generating energy. The 
emphasis of projects is on local engagement, leadership and control, and project outcomes benefit local communities.
emphasis of projects is on local engagement, leadership and control, and project outcomes benefit local communities.
What types of community energy projects are out there?
- Initiatives to reduce the carbon footprint of a local area
- Community-owned renewable electricity installations
- Community members switching as a group to a renewable heat source
- A community trial of smart meters, to raise awareness of energy use
and much, much more...
What are the benefits of community energy?
- It reduces greenhouse gas emissions
- Improves energy security
- Supports the local economy & generates local employment
- Keeps the profits generated within the community
- Re-connects people with how energy is generated & how they consume it
- Increases public acceptance of renewable energy schemes
The Manifesto for Community Energy
Through our Manifesto for Community Energy, we call on the Government to do the following:
1. Provide leadership
Commit to a dramatic increase in CCE with national targets
Recognise its potential in meeting UK energy goals, by saving energy and creating a secure, clean and affordable heat and electricity supply.
Promote the community approach to energy
Create a national campaign for community ownership as the route to increased community engagement and acceptance.
Create a Director-level lead for community energy within the Department for Energy and Climate Change
This Director should be responsible for ensuring that all energy policy is appropriate and supportive of the community approach and representing it across Departments.
2. Give communities a clear pathway to success
Make a clearly defined offer
Set out the process by which government and its agencies will work with CCE schemes, as they are created, through the planning process and once they are established.
Introduce co-ordinated advice and support services
Endorsed and funded by government but run by independent experts covering energy efficiency and renewables
Introduce a financial framework
Including a preferential Feed-in Tariff and Renewable Heat Incentive for CCE schemes, investor tax breaks, access to finance through the Green Investment Bank, and consideration of impact and investigation of support mechanisms as part of Electricity Market Reform.
3. Support innovation
Develop Green Deal community models
The Government should work with CCE organisations to develop and promote models for Green Deal delivery and finance at the community level.
Involve local authorities
Using a pilot programme initially, to develop models of co-operation between local authorities and CCE organisations.
Encourage partnership with commercial energy developers
Investigate ways of incentivising energy project developers to work with CCE organisations.
You can download the Manifesto in full here.
Our vision for community energy in 2020
Community energy 2020: communities across the UK owning, generating
and saving energy together for the benefit of all.
We believe that community energy can and should:
1. Enable all communities to collectively play a substantial role in meeting the UK’s carbon and renewables targets by saving energy and creating a secure, clean and affordable heat and electricity supply
2. Increase the scale of investment in renewable energy and energy saving and attract new individuals, communities and institutions to invest
3. Encourage people to act cooperatively to create sustainable communities and give everyone an equal opportunity to own and control shared assets democratically
4. Respect communities, the landscape and wildlife through genuine stakeholder involvement and management of natural assets for the benefit of current and future generations
5. Increase people’s awareness and support for renewable energy projects and encourage energy saving
Community Energy Coalition |
See also: Community Energy
Community Energy Coalition | Forum for the Future
Sustainable community energy system - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Community Energy Plus | Sustainable Energy Experts
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