Are you looking for funding for your community energy organisation? Are you based in the North East, Yorkshire and Humber, or North East Lincolnshire?

This fund opportunity is now closed.

We have a total of £50,000 available for amazing new and existing community energy organisations and climate action groups in the North East, Yorkshire, and North East Lincolnshire.

This opportunity runs from 10 May to 8 August 2023, so don’t miss out on this chance to make a positive change in your community!

The fund aims to help community energy organisations start-up, build capacity or explore feasibility of new energy projects.

If your group operates within Northern Powergrid’s area, you could be eligible for a grant of up to £10,000! Check out the guidance document below for a list of eligible project types and regions.

The guidance document for this year’s fund is also available to download here.  You can also view this year’s application questions beforehand here.

In 2022, we awarded grants to nine community groups for projects, including community-owned solar PV and energy advice services. We can’t wait to see the innovative projects that will be funded this year!

Apply and let’s create a cleaner, more sustainable future together!

If you have any queries about the project, we’re here to help. Come along to one of our Community Energy Forums in York on the 6 July and Newcastle on the 7 July 2023 to find out more or send us an email with any questions you have: sreid@regen.co.uk.

To stay up to date with recent community energy news don’t forget to sign up for Regen’s Community Energy newsletter here.

Project duration: ongoing

Regen has supported Northern Powergrid to develop a three-year strategy to engage and support community and local energy stakeholders in their licence areas.

The strategy was developed based on feedback from 17 community energy representatives, who told us what support they need, how they would like to be engaged and what role they want to play in the future energy system. The strategy was also informed by insight from Regen’s community energy engagement experience over the past eight years, and in depth interviews with Northern Powergrid’s senior team, to test the feasibility of new ideas.

This strategy includes Northern Powergrid’s vision, purpose and approach, and an action plan with commitments which Northern Powergrid can work towards over the next three years (2020-2023) to support the community and local energy sector to grow and thrive.

You can read the full strategy here.

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. 

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
  • Cardiff
  • Edinburgh
  • London
  • Newcastle
  • Manchester
  • Oxford
• 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. 

Project duration: December 2018 – February 2019

We have written a report for the Institute of Welsh Affairs (IWA) producing recommendations for the protection, promotion and upscaling of community and local ownership of renewable energy in Wales. The report is part of the IWA’s Re-energising Wales project, a three-year project to deliver a roadmap for how Wales can meet its projected energy demand from 100% renewable sources by 2035, building on the Welsh Government’s renewable energy targets set in September 2017:

• to generate 70% of its electricity consumption from renewable energy by 2030
• for 1 GW of renewable electricity generation to be locally owned by 2030
• for all renewable energy projects to have an element of local ownership by 2020.

The focus of our report was onshore renewable generation capacity, how community ownership of renewable energy has been achieved at scale elsewhere and Welsh factors that could be used to encourage more community and local ownership of renewable energy schemes, maximising its social and economic value for Wales. We conducted desk-based research and a series of interviews with key stakeholders, as well as drawing on Regen’s expertise in innovative local energy models. Our recommendations followed four themes:

• Shared ownership
• Establishing a local energy company for Wales
• Planning and land access
• Access to the grid

Read the full report here.

“The IWA has worked with Regen on two occasions. On both occasions, the staff at Regen have been passionate and a pleasure to work with. In the most recent commission, we asked Regen to deliver a complex piece of work in a very short space of time and they delivered efficiently and effectively. Regen staff are proactive and they go above and beyond to make sure that the work produced is the best it can be. Regen’s experience and specialist knowledge in the energy sector is exceptional.”

Shea Buckland-Jones, Re-Energising Wales Project Coordinator

Read Shea’s blog on the report’s recommendations here.

Project duration: January 2018 – February 2019

Project Duration: June 2014 – June 2017

The Community Energy Accelerator was a three-year project funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, aiming to speed up the delivery of community energy. Regen did this by running a network of over 250 community energy groups and providing one-on-one technical and engagement support to 32 communities. This project enabled community energy groups to share learning about innovative models, recognise and harness the resources they need, build partnerships, and engage the skills and commitment of their whole community.

Through the Community Energy Accelerator, Regen has:

• Provided over 500 hours of one-one project development support to 32 community energy groups
• Run a peer network of over 250 community energy groups
• Sent 125 news updates on funding, policy, and stories that affect the sector
• Delivered 38 training and networking events, with 3673 participants
• Developed and shared community guidance, toolkits and resources
• Facilitated partnerships between businesses, local authorities and communities

15 of the organisations we supported are based in Devon and you can read more about their work and impact in the Devon Community Energy Impact Report .

Led by: Jodie Giles

Contact: jgiles@regen.co.uk

“This is a brilliant programme. Regen are superb at organising events that explore new ideas and bring like-minded people together, so vital in a growing voluntary sector like community energy where we are all learning as we go along. When we were starting up and had no money, they let us attend their events and draw on their expertise for free. Through the Accelerator programme, they are helping us plan our next set of projects.” Hugh Synge, Nadder Community Energy 23/2/17