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The Civic
Energy Cycle
1. Initiation
2. Planning
3. Roll-out
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Phase: Planning

Business model surveys

The COBEN project has taken a deeper look at the business models of various civic energy initiatives around Europe. Here you can get insight into our tested and proved array of Civic Energy business models and an overview of what constitutes their core.
Question
Answer
Category
What is the name of your civic energy initiative?
Community-led Local Energy Plans
Where is your initiative located?
Highlands and Islands, Scotland - 4 pilot locations (Barra & Vatersay; Brae; Drumnadrochit and Oban) where used to test the initiative.
UK
What are the targeted benefits of your initiative for the community? [1.]
Communities empowered to undertake energy planning activity through increased competency and reduction in associated costs using a tested model
Socio-Economic
What are the targeted benefits of your initiative for the community? [2.]
More efficient use of energy resources - projects tailored to resource and strategic development requirements and opportunities for improving local demand side management and storage realised
Socio-Technical
What are the targeted benefits of your initiative for the community? [3.]
Reduction in energy consumption
Environmental
What are the targeted benefits of your initiative for the community? [4.]
Community cohesion and control
Socio-Cultural
What are the targeted benefits of your initiative for the community? [5.]
Economic (direct and indirect) through initiatives that provide potential for community ownership, income and co-ordinated approaches to bulk procurement of fuel, energy efficiency or heating measures
Economic
What are the targeted benefits of your initiative for the community? [6.]
Social benefit through reduction in energy costs and in number of people in fuel poverty (household required to spend more than 10% of its income on all household fuel use)
Socio-Economic
What are the targeted benefits of your initiative for the community? [7.]
Strong alignment of local energy planning with development planning activity undertaken by local authorities and public support agencies
Socio-Technical
What are the key enabling factors that will make the benefits achieveable? [1.]
Provision of a resource for communities to use through the creation of an evidence based methodology and tools developed and tested as part of development of 4 pilot local energy plans.
Knowledge
What are the key enabling factors that will make the benefits achieveable? [2.]
Local energy planning is driven by community needs and priorities.
Acceptance
What are the key enabling factors that will make the benefits achieveable? [3.]
Local energy planning includes pro-active engagement to encourage energy efficient consumers (both residential and non-residential).
Acceptance
What are the key enabling factors that will make the benefits achieveable? [4.]
Local community leadership with support/involvement from local authority and other energy related agencies to support integration.
Management
What are the key enabling factors that will make the benefits achieveable? [5.]
Systems designed and developed in line with local need and consider opportunities for local supply chains and investment in local businesses.
Knowledge
What are the key enabling factors that will make the benefits achieveable? [6.]
Close collaboration with community stakeholders, local authority and public agencies to obtain buy-in and integrate local energy planning as part of developing local plans and their implementation.
Management
What are the key enabling factors that will make the benefits achieveable? [7.]
Close collaboration with Scottish Government energy policy teams and key public agencies to ensure close alignment with developing energy related policy such as heat and energy efficiency.
Legal framework
What are the key enabling factors that will make the benefits achieveable? [8.]
Community engagement activity followed the Scottish National Standards for Community Engagement (i.e. good effective community engagement).
Acceptance
How would you rate the importance of the individual enablers? [{KeyEnablingFactors_KEF01}]
Critical and decisive
How would you rate the importance of the individual enablers? [{KeyEnablingFactors_KEF02}]
Critical and decisive
How would you rate the importance of the individual enablers? [{KeyEnablingFactors_KEF03}]
Critical and decisive
How would you rate the importance of the individual enablers? [{KeyEnablingFactors_KEF04}]
Critical and decisive
How would you rate the importance of the individual enablers? [{KeyEnablingFactors_KEF05}]
Critical and decisive
How would you rate the importance of the individual enablers? [{KeyEnablingFactors_KEF06}]
Critical and decisive
How would you rate the importance of the individual enablers? [{KeyEnablingFactors_KEF07}]
Critical and decisive
How would you rate the importance of the individual enablers? [{KeyEnablingFactors_KEF08}]
Supportive
Has the technical process planning been completed? / Has the planning of all tehnical aspects of the civic energy process been completed?
Yes
What are the key technical elements of the energy supply chain? [1.]
The development of community driven consortia to develop and implement community-led local energy plans has been the focus of this pilot.
What are the key technical elements of the energy supply chain? [2.]
The model provides a number of options appraisals to assess the technology suitability for the location. This includes: the technology; interaction with other technologies; incentives available; technology maturity/risk; supply chain maturity; high level costs and return on investment.
What energy sources are used in this model? [1.]
Community-led local energy plans undertake a high level technology appraisal on all energy sources and determines a relative positive/negative impact factor. Factors assessed include technology maturity, environmental & cultural heritage designations, supply chain, energy costs, economic benefits, carbon & human health impacts.
Energy Source
Are reliable data for energy turnover available yet? / (Refferring to the sum of all involved forms of energy turnover)
No
Is the undertaking profit-oriented or not-for profit?
not-for profit
Has the initiative been supported in any way by public funding?
No
Have your investment calculations been completed?
No
Which sources of income does the civic energy enterprise generate? [Income source 1:]
Community-led local energy plans are strategic documents covering the aims and priorities identified by the community (community and business organisations, individuals and other sakeholders). Sources of income will depend on the action identified in the local energy plan, but could include income from the sale of energy or savings in energy costs associated with the purchase of energy that is no longer require as a result of local generation. The model developed for the pilot covers the development of the plan rather than a specific outcome and income generating enterprise that may be developed as part of the implementation of a local plan that may take a period of months or years to implement.
How would you classify your organisational model or archetype?
Other
How would you classify your organisational model or archetype? [Other]
Local energy plans will help to determine a community's appetite to explore community-owed initiatives or consideration for a form of joint venture/shared ownership
Has the legal form of your initiative been finalized? / Has the legal form (e.g. limited company or non-profit association) of your initiative/orgaisational model been finalized?
No
Who are the key stakeholders? [1.]
The model for local energy plans does not determine a particular organisational model. It is anticipated that actions where implemented will lead to one of the following: community-owned development; shared ownership/joint venture or local authority/developer-led development that meets the community's requirements.
other
Has the ownership of your energy supply chain chain clarified?
No
Which are the key enterprises or service providers involved in implementing the initiative? [1.]
Not applicable.
How is the management of the organisation structured? [Supervisory function:]
Not applicable
How is the management of the organisation structured? [Management:]
Not applicable
How is the management of the organisation structured? [Operation:]
Not applicable
What roles do the key enterprises or contracted service providers play in the running of the initiative? [{KeyEnterprises_KE01}][Role]
Typically led by a steering group.
What role does the community play? [Permit authority]
No
What role does the community play? [Adviser]
No
What role does the community play? [Funder]
No
What role does the community play? [Operator]
No
What role does the community play? [Initiator]
No
What role does the community play? [Political supporter]
No
What role does the community play? [Other]
Community-led local energy plans bring together a range of local stakeholders. Implementation of identified actions and the development of an enterprise may be undertaken by a community based organisation or business or a consortium who will may take the role of being an operator and initiator. Community-led local enry plans are not led by local authority that is responsible for the delivery of local planning. The local authority is a key stakeholder and as part of the pilot was a member of each of the steering groups that developed the local energy plans. In future plans it is anticpated that the local authority will actively engage and support the development of a community-led local energy plan, but may not take a role on the steering group. This is a rsource consideration for the local authority.
What role do consumers play?
Effective community engagement when developing local energy plans ensures that local consumers can be actively involved in determining the priorities and actions to take forward.
Has a structured risk assessment been conducted?
No
What are the identified risks for the success of the initiative? [Risk 1]
As a community-led initiative it depends on local capacity and capability. Capacity is a key risk, especially where development is dependent on volunteer resource. Where some level of paid resource is not available to progress the development of the plan and follow through on implementation there is a risk that timescales may not be met and implementation not followed through.
Community
How would you rate these identified risks for the success of the initiative? [{IdentifiedRisks_IR1}]
High
Has legal security been achieved for the initiative?
Not yet achieved
What is the target date for the take-off of your civic energy enterprise? Or when was it launched?
2018-07-01 00:00:00
Have any other communities considered adopting your civic energy business model?
Yes
Which other communities are in the process of adopting your civic energy business model? [1.]
A number of enquiries have been received from Scottish based communities for support to develop local energy plans. Discussions are continuing with Scottish Government to share learning from the pilot and for consideration of community-led local energy planning and the role that it can play alongside the development of Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies (LHEES) and Local Energy Policy Statement that are currently (2019) being developed by the Scottish Government and consulted upon. As at November 2018 the Scottish Government has stated that it is considering placing a statutory duty upon local authorities to develop a LHEES strategy across each local authority area.
Which other communities are in the process of adopting your civic energy business model? [2.]
The model and supporting toolkit was published in May 2019 and can be accessed through the Local Energy Scotland website.
What is the current status of the adoptation process? [{OtherCommunitiesName_OCN1}]
Contact established
What is the current status of the adoptation process? [{OtherCommunitiesName_OCN2}]
Adoption completed
Which additional aspects are central to your business model? [1.]
The business model provides a flexible and consistent approach to developing community-led local energy plans that has been tested across four pilot locations. The model can now be replicated and is supported by an interactive toolkit designed for communities and local authorities that wish to develop a local energy plan. The opportunity to provide funding support to communities from Scottish Government or through local authorities has not yet been confirmed and is part of on-going discussion with Scottish Government alongside the development of Scottish Government's Local Heat & Energy Efficiency Strategies and Local Energy Policy Statement