Project duration: September 2016 – March 2019
Over the past three years, the Energy Networks Association (ENA) and all six UK Distribution Network Operators (DNOs), together with Regen, have delivered a collective programme of events and guides to encourage and increase communities’ engagement in electricity network innovation, as DNOs transition to Distribution System Operators (DSOs).
The community energy sector has encountered difficulties in the past few years with policy changes from the UK government affecting previously reliable business models based on income from the Feed-in Tariff, leading communities to look towards network innovation to build new business cases, overcome network constraints and take part in new and emerging energy markets.
Since 2016, DNOs have made great strides in developing their relationship with communities, engaging more to help them understand what they can offer the network, how DNOs can support low-carbon energy goals, running innovation trials communities can take part in, and explaining how the DSO transition will affect them. Communities are a key partner for DNOs as they transition to DSOs in an ever-more decentralised energy system.
Our ‘Engaging communities in network innovation impact report 2016 – 2018‘ summarises collective DNO engagement with communities on electricity network innovation over the past three years, with a selection of individual DNO activity, and the lessons for future engagement with this stakeholder group.
This project also included:
- Rough Guide to Engaging Communities in Energy Network Innovation
- Electricity Network Innovation Guide for Communities 2018
- Community Energy Innovation events
- Community Network Innovation Case Studies 2019
If you are interested in finding out more about our work and how we support community energy, please contact Jodie Giles jgiles@regen.co.uk.
We run regular engagement events for communities that you can view here and we have a special rate for community energy organisations who would like to be members of Regen which can be found here.
