We are funding community-owned renewables
Progress has been slow on developing community owned renewable energy co-operatives in the UK, unlike in other parts of Europe where this is a common ownership structure. One of the major obstacles in the UK is the substantial cost of seeking planning permission and the unpredictability of the outcome, with a high risk of rejection. Commercial developers and operators of wind farms manage risk by running a portfolio of projects on the basis that some will succeed and some will fail; but generally a community is unable to take such a risk on a single project, so only projects with grant funding or an altruistic landowner have tended to move forward.
The overall objective of Energy Prospects is to address this issue by taking a portfolio approach to community projects, enabling communities to adopt the approach of a mainstream commercial developer, thus spreading the risks involved, and making community ownership of renewable energy generation more available to communities in the UK.
Since our launch in 2010, the planning and political climate for renewables in the UK has changed significantly, from the phase out of the Feed in Tariffs scheme to the de-factor ban of onshore wind in England between 2015 and 2024. Energy Prospects has adjusted in scope to reflect this: embracing different technologies and approaches like Behind the Meter payments to keep renewable projects financially viable. We started with a focus on wind projects, but we now have a portfolio including wind, rooftop and ground-mount solar PV and hydropower.
We have over 300 members who support our co-op, and through it the wider community energy sector.
