1.5m available for a UK-wide learning network to support communities to deliver energy projects

Peter Capener, Co-Founder and MD of Bath & West Community Energy and Deputy Chair of Community Energy England reflects on the community energy sector across the UK and shares learnings to help shape funding to support a UK-wide community energy learning network as part of the Climate Action Fund.

I was certainly excited to carry out a rapid review of learning within the community energy sector, Nick from the Fund told me “We want to provide £1.5 million to establish a UK wide learning network over three to five years and want to know what’s already out there”

At last, I thought, a focus on learning. It’s an area that definitely needs much more support if we are to mobilise, enable and inspire greater levels of community action on energy.

The Fund recently commissioned the Ashden Climate Solutions to do some scoping research which highlights that there is a scarcity of funding to support the sharing of knowledge and learning across community energy and energy efficiency projects. Particularly between more established groups and less experienced groups that are just starting to explore the potential for action in the energy space.

Research also highlights the importance of network development and connecting across regions and devolved administrations, the need for more investment in network infrastructure that could encourage new approaches to learning and skills sharing and the value of a targeted climate action theme that could contribute to the growth of community energy focused initiatives.

But there was now a need to understand how a new network might build on existing learning opportunities.

This new review set out to summarise what learning opportunities are already available in community energy, what has worked well, what people want to see in the future and how new funding could support existing work to avoid duplication. It involved an online survey that received 67 responses, identifying 116 learning activities with 102 unique activities, together with an online workshop that brought together 18 stakeholders from across the sector.

It’s important to note that 80% of survey respondents were learning providers and the remaining 20% were learning participants. 51% of respondents were community based (29% voluntary, 21% paid), 35% were based in wider community energy associations, networks or other support organisations and 14% were from public or private sector organisations.

Most of the learning opportunities identified (64%) are still currently available, covering key topics like renewable energy and energy efficiency/retrofit.

Learning provision was generally highly valued with an average score of 4.3 on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the most successful in meeting learning aims. On average, energy providers scored a higher learning provision (4.4) than the participants (4).

Target audiences

Most learning activities are targeted at early start up community energy groups, followed by experienced voluntary community energy groups and non-energy community groups, with fewer learning opportunities available for experienced community energy groups or external partners like local authorities or the wider energy industry.

Participants report that time is the main constraint in taking up learning, particularly for volunteers. So, it’s interesting that most learning is targeting groups that are perhaps least able to take advantage of it.

Whilst it’s clearly important to support those just starting out, it also seems important to support those community groups able to scale their impact in terms of mobilising communities and reducing carbon emissions.

Creating the conditions where community mobilisation can flourish will also depend on enabling a higher proportion of both the public and private sector to see the value of community action and how it can underpin their drive towards net zero. A very specific learning need.

Demand for future learning - Format

Demand for training in the future emphasised the value placed on informal networking and peer mentoring (with longer term resourcing for mentors) from both participants and providers.

Structured learning like training and targeted workshops/webinars have a very important place and are the most prevalent form of learning currently provided. Yet, a more unstructured and interactive approach is clearly valued and can be effective in responding to individual learning needs, particularly around knowledge transfer and building longer term learning partnerships.

Demand for future learning - Content

There were distinct differences between what different groups were looking for from future training.

Community groups with paid staff are more interested than voluntary groups in local energy supply, business development and community energy benefits. Voluntary groups are more interested than groups with paid staff in behaviour change, working with volunteers and demand side response (shifting electricity demand to reduce evening peak demand, and more easily adopt increasing levels of renewable energy within the system)

It’s notable that established groups with paid staff are more interested in business development than voluntary groups. This suggests early start ups might benefit from a bit more business planning and thinking.

It’s interesting that voluntary groups are keen on learning about new energy markets focusing on flexibility and demand side response. This is an area that is particularly challenging to engage with now, with the complexity of, and lack of value in, the established flexibility markets. Maybe a greater focus on easier first steps might be helpful.

The most significant mismatch between what is currently available and what was requested, was around learning on behaviour change, where current opportunities are low, but demand is high.

Key issues raised

Issues raised in the survey also include the need to match learning outcomes more clearly with learning needs and prior knowledge, and a need to focus learning on enabling practical action. During the workshop, there was a strong plea for action learning, where learning extends beyond a one-off session isolated from practical delivery. How many times have we been on training courses, and then six months later when we actually need the knowledge, we’ve forgotten key parts of it?

Other issues included the value of cross border learning at a national level, but also the value of locally offered learning that is particularly relevant to local needs, the importance of capacity building, more vocational training and the need to remove barriers to participation and increasing diversity.

Structuring an open network

There is a fair amount of learning already available, a lot of which is clearly valued if not always ideally targeted, accessible, or well resourced. In future, better mapping, and signposting of existing learning will be critical.

It was also recognised that it was important to avoid duplication by building on what is already available where appropriate. There’s a need to integrate a process of collaboration and co-production within the development of any funding bid, so bids are not just dependent on the knowledge or interests of a few strong characters or organisations.

There was also a clear need expressed for the network to be open to change, allowing for new learning providers to engage and new learning needs to be addressed, as the sector develops over time. Not everything can be tied down and planned out on day one. So, no closed shops.

Purpose

During the workshop, participants suggested that the purpose of a new learning network should be to underpin a more rapid and just transition to net zero by enabling and empowering communities to maximise their impact on carbon reduction and fuel poverty. Time to get our collective thinking caps on …

If you are interested in applying to the energy learning network strand, we encourage you to contact us at climateactionfund@tnlcommunityfund.org.uk before you submit your expression of interest. The deadline to submit your expression of interest is 28 July 2023. Read the full criteria and find out how to apply