Summary of the Challenge
Energy communities offer a pathway to restructure our energy systems and pave the way for a clean energy transition through a citizen-led approach. Energy communities have great potential to increase energy security, energy efficiency and reduce resident bills.
However, developing energy communities is challenging. Government funding schemes encourage the uptake of renewable energy technologies, sources and behaviours at a local level through community energy groups. However, communities and individuals on their own are unable to bring about fundamental change, because they are constrained by resources that are allocated at higher levels of governance.
There are also important moral and ethical questions about what communities should prioritise – should they focus on making changes at a local level, or lobby national level institutions for more resources to facilitate change? What should the balance look like between the two? How should local residents organise to make energy communities a reality? Who should they collaborate with, and how can public and private sector actors contribute to making energy communities a reality?
Our Response
We will engage with policy actors and practitioners through interviews and roundtables and produce guidance on what energy communities could look like in South Yorkshire. Guidance will be shared with policymakers to support regional promotion and support of energy communities.
The research will address three core questions:
- How are energy communities organised?
- What can regional authorities do to enable energy communities in South Yorkshire?
- What principles should guide community action to set up energy communities in South Yorkshire?
