Benefits of community shared ownership: the developer’s perspective

Based on interviews with ten people with direct experience of shared ownership, this report gathers feedback from early adopter developers on why shared ownership works for them. It sets out the benefits they have seen from offering communities a stake in commercial renewable energy projects: community support and enhanced credibility, planning benefits, and reduced cost and risk on future projects. It includes case studies of Forest Gate Solar Farm, Y Bryn Wind Farm and the Feeder Road battery project, alongside key insights on how policy could unlock more shared ownership.

We hope it will help convince other developers to consider shared ownership, encourage government to keep the courage of its convictions that “ownership matters”, and give communities a positive story to take to developers they want to work with in their area.

Researched and written by Katy Barney for Community Energy England as part of the Energy Learning Network.

“We feel that the roll-out of renewable energy would be much more rapid if communities feel they have ownership, pride and participation” – Harry Lopes, Founder & CEO, Eden Renewables

To find out more, join our Energy Learning Network webinar, Shared ownership: how to boost community ownership of clean energy, on 5 November.

Benefits of community shared ownership: the developer’s perspective

Download (PDF, 8.4MB) Benefits of community shared ownership: the developer’s perspective

An Energy Learning Network report on the benefits of community shared ownership for renewable energy developers, drawing on interviews with developers, funders and community energy organisations.