1. Community Benefit Opportunities and Options
Stuart Hay
Director
11 Feb 2017

2. Introduction Community benefits and opportunities: Where we are now
Where we could go
What sort of coop do we want to be?

3. Something new in Auld Reekie

4. Dependence on fossil fuels
High levels
of Fuel Poverty
Increasing
consumption
Foreign
Corporate control
& ownership
Escalating
energy &
fuel costs
Carbon Emissions
Dependence on fossil fuels
Centralise
Production
Wasteful Behaviour
Edinburgh’s Energy
today

5. The Solar Coop Achievements
£1.4m asset
Circa 20
year secure
revenue
stream
Local community
democratic
control
Lower costs
For public
buildings
Reduced
Emissions
100% renewable
De-centralise
Production
Behaviour
change in schools
The Solar Coop
Achievements

6. Lessons Learnt along the way
Solar Coop
People & expertise + time
Access
to tangible assets
Incentives / community benefits
Appropriate support organizations

7. Objective A
Be involved in and support the development, installation, management, operation, generation, transmission and provision of the supply of energy from renewable energy and low carbon sources;

8. Objective B
To reduce climate change emissions, alleviate fuel poverty, improve energy security and help to foster sustainable development in and around the City of Edinburgh, by working with like-minded organisations, through supporting projects and educational work.

9. What’s next?

10. Option 1: Deepen community involvement and ownership

11. Option 2: Build on success by speculating to accumulate:

12. Option 3: Blaze a trail

13. Staying fresh and unique
Avoid duplicating existing work and projects e.g. established fuel poverty programmes,
Leave the conventional insulation of public buildings to the council
Spending lots of money on staff and consultants, because the membership with Energy4All offers all the resources we need

14. Focus on the Benefits of a community led approach
Not about access to grants or additional finance for public / private sector orgs, but
Project
Stronger political support
Focus on outcomes, not process and policy
Lock in local community benefits
Greater motivation / less risk aversion
It’s about using commercial models for local benefit!

15. The basics
Change
Places
People

16. Thank you

17. Stay bright be happy