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

Selection of enablers

Whether opportunities for civic energy to boost the renewable energy transition throughout Europe are capitalized on, depends on the successful development and implementation of enabling frameworks. For that we need a conscious focus on what factors, individuals, resources or pre-requisites will make the intended community benefits happen.
However, citizen-led renewable energy initiatives still frequently struggle to get off the ground due to complex regulatory and policy contexts, such as changing national subsidy schemes, difficult licencing and administrative procedures, limited access to information and finance. All of which can hinder the successful uptake of a community-driven sustainable energy system.
Nonetheless, in contrast to those barriers there also exist enabling factors that help fostering a supportive environment for community energy structures. Identifying and involving these enablers is therefore a crucial step in the development of civic energy business models.

For that we identified 5 categories of enablers:

  • Legal framework
    Political goodwill; availability of supporting legal structutres
  • Knowledge
    Expertise (technical, project management, financial, etc.)
  • Finance
    Economic feasability; financial support (e.g. subsidies)
  • Management
    Good and effective partnership based on trust; motivation/driving force for accelerating project implementation/progress
  • Acceptance
    Public acceptance and endorsement for advancing civic energy initiatives and participation
  • Once you and your consortium have selected the targeted benefits of your Civic Energy initiative, it is crucial to identify suitable enabling factors.

    The COBEN project has taken a deeper look at the enablers of various civic energy initiatives around Europe. You can find a full list of relevant enablers in our pilots' civic energy business models below.

    Business Model
    Enabler
    Importance
    Enablers - Enablers
    sufficient grid capacity
    Critical and decisive
    Enablers - Legal framework
    Authority facilitation
    Critical and decisive
    Experimental (national) regulation
    Critical and decisive
    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.
    Critical and decisive
    Political goodwill
    Critical and decisive
    Emmen spatial planning decision (20% participation required for permitting)
    Critical and decisive
    Legislation; adjustment/modernisation of regulations
    Critical and decisive
    tendering demands for use of municipality owned ground
    Critical and decisive
    Clearly defined legal framework
    Supportive
    Municipality spatial planning policy (20% local ownership in solar park initiatives is demanded)
    Critical and decisive
    Municipality decision on 20% participation as requirement for permitting solar fields
    Critical and decisive
    Zip code tax reduction regulation (national tax reduction scheme for cooperative energy)
    Critical and decisive
    Regional and national policy makers
    Supportive
    a spatial implementation plan
    Critical and decisive
    20% volume claim according to Emmen spatial planning policy
    Critical and decisive
    The project has been designed to address the priorities identified in the local energy plan
    Critical and decisive
    Project is driven by community needs and priorities identified in the local energy plan
    Critical and decisive
    Enablers - Knowledge
    Education
    Supportive
    Servicepoint Locally Generated Emmen
    Supportive
    legal expertise
    Supportive
    Private sector active in energy production, distribution, and exploitation
    Supportive
    Servicepoint Locally Generated Emmen
    Critical and decisive
    access to expertise (technical, financial, legal)
    Critical and decisive
    technical feasibility
    Critical and decisive
    Knowledge and interest in civic energy among the target groups
    Critical and decisive
    Restheat available via the production from Altoni
    Critical and decisive
    Better understanding/knowledge of benefits at the household level
    Critical and decisive
    Better understanding/knowledge of benefits among the rental agencies
    Supportive
    technical feasibility
    Critical and decisive
    technical and legal support from the DSO
    Critical and decisive
    Homeowners are offered energy checks, which are free and impartial, and therefore have great credibility
    Critical and decisive
    increased awareness in the local community about the importance of the energy standard of homes
    Supportive
    Systems designed and developed in line with local need and consider opportunities for local supply chains and investment in local businesses.
    Critical and decisive
    Servicedesk Lokaal Opgewekt Emmen (Locally Generated Emmen): advice, help, guidance, training, campaign
    Critical and decisive
    increased knowledge about opportunities and finances among homeowners
    Critical and decisive
    Better public 1) knowledge and 2) understanding at household level
    Critical and decisive
    Better public 1) knowledge and 2) understanding at the local community level
    Supportive
    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.
    Critical and decisive
    Enablers - Finance
    Possible subsidies
    Critical and decisive
    Subsidies
    Critical and decisive
    econocmical feasibility
    Critical and decisive
    Public Financing (municipality and province of Drenthe)
    Critical and decisive
    Subsidies
    Critical and decisive
    Subsidies
    Critical and decisive
    Result of the RFQ
    Critical and decisive
    The economic benefit realised by the 'community hub' through reduction in electricity costs and increase in 'footfall' to the cafe.
    Critical and decisive
    access to funds
    Critical and decisive
    economical feasibility
    Critical and decisive
    access to financing funds
    Critical and decisive
    Public financing
    Supportive
    financial support as part of the target groups are less privileged
    Critical and decisive
    Financial means
    Critical and decisive
    Enablers - Management
    Energy Cooperatives
    Critical and decisive
    Owners/producers of residual heat
    Critical and decisive
    Cooperation with organisations and universities about energy communities
    Supportive
    City Council
    Critical and decisive
    a fund manager
    Critical and decisive
    increased action through meetings with craftsmen and banks
    Supportive
    Good communication
    Critical and decisive
    patience and will to overcome upcoming problems
    Critical and decisive
    patience and will to overcome upcoming problems
    Critical and decisive
    good partnership between public services Georgsmarienhütte and steemill Georgsmarienhütte GmbH
    Critical and decisive
    patience and will to overcome upcoming problems
    Critical and decisive
    Strong buy-in from holiday home rental agencies, i.e. rental agencies actively using acquired knowledge and materials in their dialogue with holiday home owners
    Supportive
    neighbouring households organised in a cooperative
    Supportive
    New technology - digital possibilities
    Supportive
    The project requires close collaboration of three community stakeholder organsiations to ensure an integrated solution that supports the development of energy storage for a community building that is combined with the installation of an electric vehicle charger and 'anchored' by the purchase and overnight charging of an community-owned electric vehicle.
    Critical and decisive
    Previously established cooperation
    Supportive
    Community driven co-creation process concerning a mobility solution combining car sharing and carpooling
    Critical and decisive
    The project has been designed to encourage proactive engagement of residents and visitors and requires community leadership to bring about an integrated approach and solution.
    Supportive
    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.
    Critical and decisive
    Local community leadership with support/involvement from local authority and other energy related agencies to support integration.
    Critical and decisive
    Cooperative Development Team Locally Generated Emmen
    Critical and decisive
    Cooperative Development Team Locally Generated Emmen
    Supportive
    Cooperatively owned Energy Company with a mission to buy and sell renewable power regionally
    Supportive
    Cooperation agreement with land owner/ developer
    Critical and decisive
    Development Team Lokaal Opgewekt Emmen: support at developing solar fields: advice and help on financial, fiscal, technical, legal issues
    Critical and decisive
    Participation of the cooperative partner Zuidrand
    Supportive
    Development of a businessmodel with realisation of community benefits
    Critical and decisive
    Engagement of stakeholders to develop a heatnet
    Critical and decisive
    Cooperative Development Team Locally Generated Emmen
    Critical and decisive
    Enablers - Acceptance
    Spawned and initiated by key members of the local community (true bottom up).
    Critical and decisive
    public interest to develop projects to using budget from the fund
    Supportive
    Significant uptake in the community of a mobility solution combing car sharing and carpooling
    Critical and decisive
    Economic and social benefits of increased access to community transport that reduces the number of independent journeys and associated costs.
    Supportive
    Households
    Critical and decisive
    The owners of the holiday homes must be willing to change the impactpoints from the sustainability report.
    Critical and decisive
    Large energy consumers
    Critical and decisive
    Local vision on the production and the O&M
    Critical and decisive
    Local energy planning is driven by community needs and priorities.
    Critical and decisive
    interest of project developers to develop wind turbines with respect to local council conditions
    Critical and decisive
    interest of project developers to develop wind turbines with respect to local council conditions
    Critical and decisive
    acceptance of house owners
    Critical and decisive
    refute false assumptions both about electrified mobility and shared mobility
    Supportive
    acceptance of house owners
    Critical and decisive
    Demonstrate good alternatives
    Supportive
    Change peoples habits
    Critical and decisive
    Community engagement activity followed the Scottish National Standards for Community Engagement (i.e. good effective community engagement).
    Supportive
    increased motivation and attention due to new communities
    Critical and decisive
    Local energy planning includes pro-active engagement to encourage energy efficient consumers (both residential and non-residential).
    Critical and decisive
    enrolment of all (8) users of community buildings with a solar roof
    Supportive