An innovation initiative exploring how community renewable energy schemes could be better accommodated on the electricity network
TNEI will join Regen next month to share progress from the Geoprint for Energy Club Connections and Operations (GECCO) project, an innovation initiative exploring how community renewable energy schemes could be better accommodated on the electricity network.
As the energy transition accelerates, community energy organisations are seeking to play a greater role in delivering local renewable generation and supporting decarbonisation goals. However, network constraints can create significant challenges for projects looking to connect to the electricity system.
Led by National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED), the GECCO project brings together Regen, TNEI and Energy Local to investigate potential approaches to reducing these barriers and enabling more community energy projects to connect.
As part of the project, TNEI is contributing technical expertise to assess the network implications of alternative connection approaches and explore opportunities to reduce the impact of network constraints. Alongside this work, Regen is examining the commercial and regulatory considerations associated with local supply models.
The upcoming webinar will provide an opportunity to share progress from the project to date, discuss the key challenges facing community energy schemes and hear perspectives from stakeholders with an interest in the future of local energy.
Sarah Sheehy, Principal Consultant at TNEI, said: “Community energy has an important role to play in the UK’s Net Zero transition, but many schemes face challenges when it comes to securing viable network connections. Through the GECCO project, we’re exploring how innovative approaches could help address some of these barriers and create new opportunities for community-led renewable generation. We’re looking forward to sharing our progress so far during the webinar and engaging with organisations that share an interest in enabling more community energy projects to succeed.”
The session forms part of the project’s ongoing engagement with industry stakeholders and will help inform the next stages of work as the project continues.
