Blog written by Sandy Robinson from Scene Connect.
The new £10m Community Energy Fund is a huge opportunity for UK communities to address the
ongoing energy crisis and fight climate change. Unlike previous funding, the CEF will now offer a
means for both rural and urban communities to investigate and implement new energy projects.
Scene is a founding member of Community Energy England with 12 years’ experience planning,
designing, managing, and implementing community-led low carbon projects in the UK and
internationally. We see energy as a means to an end, delivering projects which lead to local
economic, social and environmental benefits.
As a local energy specialist, we are offering our support to UK communities to apply for CEF funding and to support the delivery of energy projects to provide significant community benefit.
What makes a successful community energy project?
Early-stage funding has been shown to be a critical success factor for community energy projects,
but the initial challenge can be daunting. The CEF can provide internal community funding
(e.g., staff costs) as well as expert support from external advisors.
Through our experience working with communities to deliver local energy projects, Scene
understands what is required to deliver impactful outcomes, including:
- Community Support: Local support and buy-in to the project concept and outcomes.
- Commitment: A team of motivated and passionate individuals working together to deliver
local impact, energy solutions, and / or climate change solutions. - Expertise: experience and know-how, to prove project feasibility and progress towards
successful implementation. - Political will: engagement with, and support from, local, regional, and national government.
- Money: feasibility funding, detailed project development funding, and capital investment
are all critical to achieving success. - Time: energy projects can take 6 months or 10 years, depending on the scale and complexity
of the opportunity.
All the above is achievable for any community organisation with the right conditions, the right people, and the right funding. The CEF provides the starting point for many new projects, and we
want to play our part in supporting UK communities to exploit this opportunity.
About Scene
At Scene, we can provide a range of services to community organisations irrespective of the current stage of your project, including:
- Advice and support: we can discuss your ideas and provide expert input on project scope and budgets.
- Technical Expertise: Our in-house team of project managers, environmental specialists, energy engineers and financial experts can assess the feasibility of your projects to provide clear and achievable roadmaps.
- Commercial Expertise: We help communities to develop commercial and governance models and produce business plans to HM Treasury standards.
- Project Management: We are technology and product agnostic, helping communities to get the best solution and to deliver projects to budget and time.
- Impact Assessment: We have an in-house research team who conduct greenhouse gas footprinting and detailed economic and social impact assessments.
Over the last 12 years, we have delivered low carbon projects which have dramatically benefited
local people and communities throughout the UK. Our expertise covers everything from community net zero strategies to large scale wind turbines; local energy systems to heat networks; and Scottish island networks to international off-grid microgrids.
For more information about our work, please see: www.scene.community/our-projects
If you are interested in talking to Scene about your energy ideas, projects or require expert support, please get in touch at: info@scene.community
+44 (0)131 603 8822