Guidance now available for new, prospective or existing rural energy communities

The Rural Energy Community Advisory Hub (RECAH) is publishing a series of guidance documents, aiming to accelerate the renewable energy transition in rural areas.

The first two guidance documents, published in September 2022, are Joining or setting up a rural energy community and Creating value and engaging citizens in the energy transition.  

The third document, which is due to be published at the end of October 2022, will set out the importance for rural energy communities in developing effective funding strategies. It will provide key information on EU policy and financing, funding sources, types and examples of effective funding strategies, and information for setting up viable business models.

All of the guidance documents in the series are available for download from the RECAH website.

James Roscoe, Lead Author of the RECAH Guidance Documents, commented: “The Rural Energy Community Advisory Hub project is part of the wider policy package of the European Green Deal. There is therefore an emphasis on the need to empower, engage and mobilise citizens so that they can play a key role in the energy transition. Surveys have found that consumers are unaware of energy communities and the opportunities associated with them. These guidance documents provide citizens and businesses with information to empower, incentivise, and build citizen engagement. This is crucial for the development of rural energy communities.”