UK launches distributed energy funding scheme

• 10 years ago (2014-01-27)
• Junior Isles

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The UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) this week unveiled a new ‘Community Energy Strategy’ report, aimed at encouraging decentralised power generation via community ownership.

“Community-led action can produce energy, reduce energy use, manage energy demand and purchase energy. It can often tackle challenges more effectively than government alone, developing solutions to meet local needs, and involving local people,” the report claims.

As part of the strategy the government has launched a £10 million ($16.5 million) Urban Community Energy Fund to kick-start community power generation projects in England; created a £1 million ($1.65 million) ‘Big Energy Saving Network’ fund to support volunteers in helping vulnerable consumers to reduce energy consumption, and set up a ‘community energy saving competition’ offering £100 000 ($165 000) to communities that develop innovative energy saving solutions.

DECC has also launched a ‘one-stop shop’ that provides information resources for people interested launching community energy projects.

The report also reveals the government will be consulting during early 2014 on the possibility of doubling the maximum Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) from 5 MW to 10 MW, to encourage community projects.