Collaborating on community energy – a guide for local authorities on working with community energy groups

Prepared by the Centre for Sustainable Energy on behalf of the Greater South East
Net Zero Hub

Executive Summary

Introduction

This guide is aimed at local authority officers and elected members who want to start – or
broaden – work with community groups on energy issues. Working with community
energy can help your local authority to achieve its net zero commitments, increase local
resilience and deliver local value and benefits.

This guidance is primarily aimed at first and second tier local authorities (e.g. counties,
districts, unitaries, combined authorities, London and metropolitan boroughs), providing
ideas and good practice examples to help you to progress collaboration on energy issues
with community groups in your area. This document also includes a Local Authority Community Energy (LACE) ‘Collaboration Assessment’, to help you to assess what your
local authority is already doing to collaborate with community energy groups. The
Collaboration Assessment will also help you to identify which tasks or ‘Building Blocks’ you
might want to progress to develop LACE collaboration further.

The guidance is based on research undertaken during Autumn 2024 by CAG Consultants
and the Centre for Sustainable Energy, on behalf of the Greater South East Net Zero Hub
(GSENZH). We are very grateful for the input received from many local authorities and
community energy groups, as well as from Community Energy South, Community Energy
London, Community Energy England and the Energy Learning Network, who provide
support to community energy groups across the Greater South East and beyond.