Project duration: 2013 – present
Since 2013, Regen has worked with National Grid Electricity Distribution, formerly Western Power Distribution (WPD), on a programme of community energy engagement to help build a thriving community energy movement across the South West, South Wales and the Midlands. The programme includes online content, but is underpinned by free events aimed at community energy groups, local authorities, academics and local energy stakeholders, to facilitate networking, explore the latest developments in the sector and discuss how communities can be at the heart of a decarbonised, decentralised and democratised energy system.
Over the past 11 years, we’ve delivered:
- Over 50 community engagement events across NGED’s four licence areas as well as online events. These have included workshop sessions, breakouts, site visits to exemplar community energy projects and presentations
- Community Energy Vulnerable Customers Packs to support communities in their fuel poverty work
- Animations for NGED on the shift to DSO, the growth of electric vehicles, the role of local flexibility, electricity storage, demand side response, local supply and alternative connections
- Write ups of case studies on DNO-community innovation projects, such as OpenLV and the Sunshine Tariff
- A series of podcasts with NGED to share learnings on projects from key communities, featuring South Dartmoor Community Energy, Ambition Lawrence Weston and Brendon Energy
- Three versions of the Connecting Community Energy guide, written in plain English as a guide to getting a network connection for communities, especially in NGED’s licence areas, updated every 2-3 years
- A consultation for communities on the future of our electricity network, gathering 46 responses to help NGED understand how they can support communities to participate in our changing system. Responses clearly showed the desire of communities to participate in new developments such as local flexibility, and influence NGED’s strategy to focus more on carbon reduction
- NGED’s Net Zero Communities Strategy, which sets out what they have done, and what they will do next to support community and local energy organisations, based on feedback from NGED’s extensive engagement over the past eight years
- A call for innovation ideas from communities, local authorities or local energy organisations to fund trials through the Network Innovation Allowance (NIA) which explore ways to support people in fuel poverty and vulnerable customers as we transition to a smarter, decarbonised network. The call included a one-page guide to NIA funding
- Power to Participate; a year long project aimed at addressing the barriers faced by community energy organisations when exploring new markets
- Internal training for National Grid employees
- Regular community energy newsletters for NGED
- A Community Heat Guide for individuals and organisations interested in starting community heat projects
- Briefing documents for consultations, including those on community benefit from transmission infrastructure, the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements and developing local partnerships for onshore wind.
The community energy forums and online events run alongside NGED have covered a huge range of topics over the course of this programme, from innovation to community ownership, through community retrofit and heat and many more. These events play an important role for attendees in:
- keeping them up to date with the latest policy news
- helping them engage in the changes to the energy system, including the transition from Distribution Network Operator (DNO) to Distribution System Operator (DSO)
- giving them direct access to highly experienced NGED staff
- helping them share learning from local projects
- supporting regional networking.
For summaries of the each of the 2024 events see the links below:
- March online event
- South West community energy forum, Exeter
- East Midlands community energy forum, Leicester
- A combined summary of the West Midlands and South Wales events in Birmingham and Swansea
To find out more about our work with NGED on their community energy programme, contact Prina Sumaria at psumaria@regen.co.uk or Robbie Evans at revans@regen.co.uk.
We have a special rate for community energy organisations who would like to be members of Regen which can be found here.
If you would like to keep up to date with community energy news, sign up to our newsletter here.
