A pioneering approach to community engagement on local renewable energy projects. Giving communities information, time and space to develop their own local energy vision.

Unlock the power of community engagement with our seasoned team of planning policy, renewable energy and community engagement experts. At CSE, we blend social expertise with an understanding of the technical, financial, and policy challenges faced by local authority officers and community groups working towards net zero.

How do we do it?

Future Energy Landscapes (FEL) is our innovative bottom-up community engagement process. The outputs which emerge from communities as part of the FEL process can build social consent for developing renewables and guide local planning authorities to craft ambitious and community-aligned renewable energy policies.

It’s not just about meeting net zero goals; it’s about creating a future your community supports and directly benefits from. And it’s about ensuring the consultation process is open and accessible to everyone in society.

Ready to turn community aspirations into actionable plans? Let’s make it happen!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOidYwI4nYo

Why community engagement matters for local energy projects

Communities play a crucial role in the success of renewable energy initiatives and tackling climate change. The Climate Change Committee says that to reach net zero emissions, we must deliver a fourfold increase in renewable and low-carbon technologies – from large commercial renewables to community-scale schemes and household solutions like heat pumps and insulation. Meanwhile, the government has an ambition to double onshore wind, and triple solar, by 2030.

Community energy projects have an important part to play in this transition. Whether wholly owned by communities, partnerships with commercial entities, or public sector collaborations, these local initiatives can foster democratic control over energy futures, tackle fuel poverty and provide wider community benefits.

People’s acceptance, understanding, and use of clean technologies will ultimately determine the speed of change. Yet, despite soaring public support for renewables like onshore wind, solar farms, or hydro power, enthusiasm often decreases with each local planning application. The urgency to boost renewables clashes with unmet community expectations. Current engagement approaches often fall short for the following reasons:

1. Remote decision-making: Communities feel left out when choices are made by those who don’t live in the area, or they feel their opinions are ignored.
2. Emotional disconnect: Local sentiments and love for landscapes go unnoticed in policy or planning decisions.
3. Lack of benefits: Communities see minimal gains from hosting renewable projects.
4. Adversarial system: UK planning is often confrontational, and not a collaborative process.

We need to drive real change through communities taking democratic control, understanding, generating, using, owning, and saving energy locally.

Local input from local people who directly see the benefits from renewables deployment is the key to unlocking public support and accelerating our energy transition.

An approach to empower communities for renewable energy development

The FEL approach is designed to address the gaps in current community engagement methods. In our process, we include:

1. Local support building: FEL ensures meaningful involvement, aligning local needs with national opinions.
2. Nuanced engagement: Moves beyond confrontational processes, creating a collaborative environment.
3. Bold policy making: Developing ambitious planning policies for renewable roll-out, backed by communities and meeting their needs.

In our interactive FEL workshops, we invite the local community to consider what renewables may be feasible in their area, and then choose the type, location and size which they find acceptable, considering their feelings and attachment to their local landscape.

We provide unbiased resources for people to learn about the issues and give them sufficient time and autonomy to consider the pros and cons of different renewable options that would suit their local area. We listen to the conditions which they may place on hosting a development, such as direct community benefits. Then, we support them in developing a shared understanding on what would be accepted in their community.

When the issue of renewable energy is approached in this way, ambitious community scale energy plans can be developed. And because the workshop participants have gone through this thought process themselves, they own the outputs and are more likely to support local developments, plans or policies based on them.

Workshops are scalable and adaptable depending on your objectives.

Proven results

After attending our workshops, communities are not just accepting of renewables – they’re enthusiastic about them.

• 85% of participating communities supported renewable energy projects that could meet or exceed their annual electricity needs*
• 62% expressed majority support for onshore wind*

*Based on results from 13 FEL workshops in 2022, with 11 run by CSE and two by independent community groups.

Cost and duration

CSE can deliver Future Energy Landscapes workshops or training in your area. Prices start at £1,600 + VAT for an interactive online training workshop, and £3,500 + VAT for an in-person workshop for your local community. Email our communities team to find out more.

Future Energy Landscapes is possible thanks to support from the MCS Charitable Foundation. Along with:

• Bristol Energy Cooperative
• National Infrastructure Commission for Wales
• Dorset Climate Action Network
• South Wonston Sustainability
• Bath and North East Somerset Council
• North Somerset Council