Illinois IBEW Renewable Energy Fund’s Post

In a report released today, we discuss best practices for community engagement for energy projects to ensure a just transition for coalfield communities, as well as the results of a survey with of local #SWVA leaders about new energy technologies. “The report offers developers and community stakeholders tools and processes to ensure that energy projects are being built with active community engagement and that wealth is not extracted but that there are local benefits, beyond jobs and taxes, to communities hosting energy technologies,” said Robert Kell, New Economy Program Manager. #JustTransition #EnergyCommunities #SouthwestVirginia

Today is #GlobalWindDay, a day to celebrate the myriad of benefits that wind energy can bring.   Environmentally, wind energy plays a crucial role in the decarbonisation of our energy systems and the fight against climate change. Economically, wind energy provides highly skilled jobs, endless education opportunities, and it supports countless supply chains and businesses. Wind energy also delivers tangible benefits for the communities that host wind farms, including the regeneration of assets (e.g. village halls, parks) and the distribution of community benefit grants that support charities and individuals.   Our team includes Technicians, on-site Operations Managers, Project Developers, Community Co-Ordinators, Accountants, Energy Assessors, Legal and Commercial specialists, as well as the Directors that guide the business from day to day. All of us #WorkinginWind deserve to be celebrated today.   #globalwindday #workinginwind #onshorewind #renewableenergy #jobsinrenewables #careersinrenewables #windenergy #climatechange

📣 Mission Energy News 📣 We're diving deep into some exciting developments in the clean energy space, including how the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is paving the way for more sustainable futures for nonprofits. In this issue: 🌳 How the IRA Advances Clean Energy & Benefits Nonprofits – Learn how nonprofits are capitalizing on new opportunities. 🏥 Catholic Energies Projects Spotlight – See the latest on our collaborations, including with clients like SSM Health. ⚡️ Impact Story: Solar Savings – Discover how the Catholic Diocese of Richmond is reaping the rewards from their solar energy initiative. 🔗 Stay informed on these impactful stories and more! #CleanEnergy #Nonprofits #InflationReductionAct #CatholicEnergies #Sustainability #SolarEnergy #RenewableEnergy

It's so important that people affected by the energy transition benefit from it as well. Renewable energy projects do bring disruption and local impacts—some short term and others longer. For that reason, communities affected by the construction deserve a share in the rewards. So I was struck by this: $70 million is available for the Central West as part of the Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ). That's a lot! This is a huge opportunity - get involved so the benefits of renewable energy stay local. Gather your team, organisation, or community group to share in: - Local Community Fund: $15 million for projects improving local amenities and community connections - Local Community Small Grants: $500,000 for small-scale community and First Nations projects - First Nations Fund: $10 million to empower Aboriginal organisations and create job opportunities - Legacy Infrastructure Fund: $45 million for councils to deliver infrastructure projects boosting liveability and regional economic development. Five Grant Writing Workshops are scheduled to help secure funding: https://lnkd.in/gVifWuGi #Change #EnergyTransition #CommunityBenefits #SustainableFuture #CentralWestOrana #NSWGovernment Trevor Armstrong

UK PV farms bring 36MWp into community ownership #uk #solarfarms with a collective capacity of 36MWp have been transferred into community ownership, increasing England and Wales’s community #solar #capacity by one fifth. The transfer sees five community businesses across England and Wales take ownership of solar farms generating enough #energy to power almost 13,000 homes. This is expected provide over £20m in forecast community benefit funding from surplus revenues. Community benefit funding will be used to support local programmes addressing important issues such as homelessness, food and fuel poverty, education and climate action while supporting the UK’s transition to #netzero . https://lnkd.in/gbjrPC7r #solarenergy #renewables #energytransition #development #greenfuture #europe

Ariane Burgess MSP has lodged a motion in support of community energy! We’re pleased to highlight a motion submitted by Ariane Burgess MSP (Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party) welcoming the launch of the Energy Learning Network. This new initiative aims to increase community energy across the UK, helping more communities access the long-term social and financial benefits of owning renewable energy projects. Successful examples include: - North Yell – where the community owns five wind turbines - Tiree – home to a 900kW community-owned turbine - Applecross – benefiting from a community hydro scheme Despite the financial and regulatory hurdles faced, there’s a significant opportunity to expand community energy with the UK Government’s Local Power Plan and The Scottish Government’s upcoming Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan. The Scottish Community Coalition on Energy has outlined seven calls to action, including: - Setting a target for 100% community-owned energy - Reviewing opportunities from repowering - Establishing a national community wealth fund to ensure the wealth from Scotland’s natural resources benefits local communities. More: https://lnkd.in/e-PKeQjs Energy learning network: https://lnkd.in/ee-_ChSy #CommunityEnergy #JustTransition

It's great for MacKenzie Scott to do what she likes with her money. Also, it's great that organizations like GRID Alternatives have existed to fill the technical capacity gap in Indian Country when it comes to solar and renewables development. Large funders like MacKenzie Scott and other Foundations need to understand, that the days of having non-Tribal intermediaries do work on our behalf are over. GRID Alternatives needs to spin off their Tribal focused work and business to be controlled by Tribal people. If not, there are Alternatives. #Tribal #tribalenergy #solar #energy #energysovereignty #energysecurity #Sovereignty https://lnkd.in/gVjGqBVA

🏫☀️ Did you know that the majority of our school solar projects are funded through the Solar for Schools Community Benefit Society? 🌱 As a not-for-profit organisation, the Solar for Schools CBS is dedicated to raising funds to support schools in going solar, without the need for any capital outlay. With this innovative funding model, schools can harness the power of solar energy to reduce their carbon footprint and energy costs, all while benefitting from clean, renewable electricity. By becoming part of our community-driven approach, you're not just supporting the transition to sustainable energy, you're also empowering schools to become leaders in environmental stewardship and education. Learn more about how the Solar for Schools CBS funds solar on schools here: https://lnkd.in/e7M335QN #SolarForSchools #CommunityDriven #SustainableFuture

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

My Tuesday follow suggestions. Here are just a few accounts to add to your LinkedIn feed if you haven't already: Abby L. Watson - founder at Groundwire Strategies. Abby does a great job putting out thoughtful content that's reflective of what she's seeing in the energy industry. You may have also seen her work coordinating thought leadership on offshore #transmission for wind in the Gulf of Maine and off Nova Scotia. She's got a great update post out now on her observations from Maryland. Philip Duguay at Grid United - Phil has a great background in transmission development and working across stakeholders. His posts often highlight energy industry developments in Canada and have thoughtful observations about cross-boarder US-Canada development needs and opportunities. Johannes Pfeifenberger at The Brattle Group. I'm hopeful that if you're interested in transmission and offshore resources, you're already following Hannes. But if not, his observations and updates are always helpful. This is also a great way to keep up with the latest transmission-related work that Brattle is producing. Rebecca Karp - CEO and founder at Karp Strategies. Rebecca has a wealth of experience with the intersection of development and communities. She regularly shares thoughtful content that provides insights from her observations as a leader in the space. Finally, moving from individuals. this is a round up of some of my favorite renewable energy-related agencies to follow: DOE Grid Deployment Office. National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Berkeley Lab. DOE Loan Programs Office. These accounts all post helpful content and it's great way to make the most of LinkedIn as a source of information about key developments and new opportunities.