Community Energy

Peter AndrewsBath & West Community Energy

December 2013

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“Our vision is to create a financially sustainable social enterprise that will deliver renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy supply via strong community

model that builds community resilience.”

Bath & West Community Energy

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…...set up as a Community Benefit Society in 2010

Where BWCE started in 2009 …….

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Community benefit at centre

Do the easy things first

Financial sustainability

Be ambitious and build scale

Offer fair financial return as well as social/environmental benefits

Do we have the right skills sitting round the table

Recurring themes in early discussions……

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How we operate….

Individual investors - £20k maximum.

Investment goes into projects

Independent local community

enterprises - part of BWCE family - with

control of local community funds

BWCE – Develop, Finance, Own &

Operate Renewable Energy

Projects

Development loan/grant

Individual investors

Debt from corporate

investors and banks ‘Project

Finance’

Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) -

Portfolio of projects of same technology with debt from same

source

Independent Community

Fund