Daniel Cardenas’ Post

Renewable energy is helping rural communities access reliable, lower-cost energy: https://bit.ly/3VmXAyk

The UK's community energy sector is optimistic about opportunities from a Labour government focus on community energy, including an election promise of £400 million per year in low-interest loans and £600 million a year to local authorities. Community energy is potentially the ultimate in place-based impact investing: investment raised locally and deployed locally to generate renewable energy, with surpluses going into other community projects. The piece that is missing in the UK is the ability to sell the low-cost renewable energy back into the same community, currently not permitted. In its recent state of the sector report, Community Energy England estimated community energy production in the UK in 2023 at 617 gigawatts, which would be something over half a percent of the UK's renewable energy production of 90 terawatts. There is definitely more potential for the UK. The comparable numbers for community energy in Germany are more like 8 terawatts, representing 3% of renewable energy production. #impactinvesting #communityenergy #crowdfunding #placemaking #justtransition #renewableenergy Ian Lewis Bristol Energy Cooperative Triodos Bank Whitni Thomas UK Power Networks Phil Coventry Octopus Energy Your Co-op Energy Better Society Capital https://lnkd.in/eX4uVXDe

🌞 Can renewables solve energy poverty? Absolutely – if we focus on the most vulnerable. Renewable energy isn't just about cutting emissions. It’s a lifeline for families struggling with energy bills. But here's the catch: right now, most of the benefits are going to wealthier households. We need to change that. Here’s what we need to focus on: - Target the right people: “Expanding support specifically for vulnerable people will not only help increase renewables production but also help those most affected by high fossil fuel prices.” Many vulnerable households are renters and face unique barriers. - Remove barriers: Upfront costs and red tape often shut out low-income families. We must simplify access to funds and streamline installation processes, especially for those living in rented or multi-family buildings. - Build community solutions: “Participation in these projects can engage households on energy usage, the potential of renewables, and climate change more generally.” Energy cooperatives can give people a real stake in the transition, creating local jobs, savings, and climate resilience. The EU’s Social Climate Fund (#SCF) is a key tool. With around €86 billion available from 2026 to 2032, the SCF can help low-income households access renewables. It's designed to mitigate the impact of carbon pricing and fund initiatives that empower vulnerable communities. As the brief highlights, "the SCF can serve as a blueprint for sensible use of revenues from carbon pricing" to deliver real change on the ground. Some great examples from across Europe are already paving the way: - Italy: The Energy Income scheme in Porto Torres installs solar panels for low-income households, reusing revenues to fund further installations. - Portugal: Solar panels on social housing in Porto provide free energy to 180 families for five years. - Germany: In Berlin, tenants benefit from cheaper, green electricity thanks to solar installations on rental properties. While we’re on the right path, we must keep pushing for better investments in vulnerable communities. If confirmed, the EU "Energy and Housing Commissioner", Dan Jørgensen, could spearhead this ambitious initiative, overseeing energy efficiency, investment, and construction. 👉 Read the full report from the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) to see how we can build a fairer energy future for everyone: https://lnkd.in/dfER5wfe 🎙️ Want more insights? Listen to Energ' Ethic Podcast episode 55: "From Coal to Clean: Tackling Energy Poverty with Renewables" featuring Miłosława (Miłka) Stępień from CEE Bankwatch Network. It’s a must-hear for anyone passionate about energy justice: https://lnkd.in/djnW-GEy #EnergyTransition #EnergyPoverty #SocialClimateFund #Renewables #JustTransition #EnergyEfficiency #EnergEthic

Connecting cheap, clean energy from renewables comes with a hidden cost and challenge: building 5,000 kilometres of new transmission lines this decade, and another 5,000km after that. This sounds like a lot, but 5,000km is only around 10% of the existing grid network, and unlocks more than 32 gigawatts of new clean energy capacity by 2030. The problem is, communities are often not sold on having to host new transmission lines. As the recent review of community engagement by renewable and transmission companies demonstrates, this is because it wasn’t explained well to these communities as to why it’s needed and how they can benefit. https://lnkd.in/gisDeCFk #community #support #needed #greenenergytransition #getting #communities #onboard #costs #challenges

"Connecting cheap, clean energy from renewables comes with a hidden cost and challenge: building 5,000 kilometers of new transmission lines this decade, and another 5,000km after that. This sounds like a lot, but 5,000km is only around 10% of the existing grid network, and unlocks more than 32 gigawatts of new clean energy capacity by 2030. The problem is, communities are often not sold on having to host new transmission lines. As the recent review of community engagement by renewable and transmission companies demonstrates, this is because it wasn't explained well to these communities as to why it's needed and how they can benefit. We already know uncertainty undermines the social license for big projects. And we know public engagement is vital in translating national policies into local impacts." #communitysupport #renewableenergy

Today sees the biggest-ever transfer of community energy assets in the UK. Five communities now own 36MW of solar assets, facilitated by the Community Owned Renewable Energy (CORE) Partnership between Power to Change, Big Society Capital, and Finance Earth. These solar farms are set to generate stable, long-term revenues that can also be reinvested in new projects and used to tackle local issues.   When assets are owned by the people they serve, they not only provide better value for the public but also contribute to the development of economically resilient communities. Learn more ⤵  https://lnkd.in/e96kc2Tw

Non-profit organisation Climate Council has signalled that Australia, the global leader in rooftop solar PV installations, could add a further 26.4GW by the end of the decade, bringing its total to 49.4GW. The organisation’s Seize the Sun report, released yesterday (19 September), states that the installed capacity of rooftop solar PV is anticipated to overtake that of coal-fired generation by the end of the year.

Social licence is a hot topic - but it’s not a new topic. Researchers, advocates and active community members have long considered the key elements that foster social acceptance. So, what would happen if you brought these experts together to innovate solutions to help build social licence for renewable energy projects? 💡Their answer: Local Energy Hubs. These hubs would serve as physical information centres, staffed by knowledgeable local experts. They would provide insights into local renewable and transmission projects, household and farm electrification, battery storage, electric vehicles, offshore wind projects and more. The aim is to break down barriers to renewable electricity access caused by time constraints or lack of reliable advice, while also addressing complex issues by giving communities a voice in large-scale regional projects. At Community Power Agency, alongside RE-Alliance, Australian Conservation Foundation and Yes2Renewables, we've pooled our collective expertise to develop this concept and advocate for government funding for the Hubs model. An excellent read, featuring Joanna Lynch, on how this model could help the Hunter region. https://lnkd.in/gvTQXBbh

Genuine engagement and ensuring our regional communities benefit from the renewable energy transition is critical & fully support local councils in their advocacy push on this. Personally, I think the Local Government Association of Queensland is doing itself a bit short though by calling for a “social licence framework”. Social licence, as a term, is about public acceptance. One of my concerns with framing around social licence is that not all projects are deserving of a social licence. While not desirable, we also perhaps can’t uniformly expect all deserving projects will get a “social licence” in a change context. What we need to prioritise instead IMO is effective implementation of better frameworks for public interest decision making that genuinely involve communities and consider community impacts (positive & negative) - with a view to determining whether a project / initiative will provide net public value. Social impact assessment is the established tool for examining social aspects of projects (with all options, including “no go” ones for specific projects if needed, on the table). SIA also mitigates against the risk of “buying” of community support and inequitable outcomes. SIA has unfortunately often been lacking or not done early enough on renewable energy projects. Community-led SIA is potentially a different model that could be explored more in qld -and likely would also support SL outcomes for the transition program, and subsequently SL for projects determined that should proceed through this process. Sure … social licence is helpful as a concept but it shouldn’t be the ultimate social goal nor for what local councils should strive for as the main outcomes for their communities from energy projects. What’s in the public interest is more than that. #sociallicence #communitybenefits #socialimpact #energy

We couldn’t have put it better— Rebecca Roebuck thank you for this post. To support development projects - no matter the scale - it is critical to have input and support from local communities. Deliberative and participatory engagement with community members, local stakeholders and representatives and on an ongoing basis is fundamental to ensuring equitable decision-making as well as to ensure all possible risks and scenarios are considered. Community-led Social Impact Assessments are an emerging model + practice in the traditional space of impact & evaluation but have long been practiced by those in grassroots, community-led & based organisations/ movements. It is great to see such praxis emerge across industries that are employing practitioners versed in social impact evaluation & assessment. Ultimately, it provides a means of providing accountability that goes beyond vague or broad-sweeping terms like “social licence”. #impactassessment #communityled #socialimpact #sociallicence