The energy firm is set to stage an energy summit aimed at boosting the Labor Government’s community energy ambitions, with millions of UK households set to benefit.
OVO Energy is gearing up to host an energy summit aimed at strengthening the Labour Government’s community energy ambitions. Just last week, OVO teamed up with Kerry McCarthy, Bristol East MP and Climate Minister, to gather policy makers, industry experts and leading green businesses.
The collective groups discussed the urgent need to speed up community energy development. MP McCarthy underscored the crucial role of community energy in achieving the Labour Government’s clean power targets, while also providing tangible benefits to constituents and businesses throughout her area.
Attendees explored how community-led energy projects, from solar panels to local wind initiatives, can tackle the climate crisis while enhancing local job opportunities, boosting resilience, and fostering innovation, potentially benefiting millions of UK households in the future.
This comes on the heels of OVO’s introduction of People Powered: How Communities Can Fund and Sell Their Own Power, a guidebook aimed at making community energy more accessible to the average person.
The manual offers practical advice on funding, regulatory compliance, and community engagement, aiming to overcome the hurdles that often stall grassroots initiatives, according to the Mirror.
Stephen Harris, VP Energy Markets and Optimisation, stated: “Community energy has a critical role to play in the net zero transition – not just in generating clean power, but also in ensuring that communities benefit from the investment made into decarbonisation. We are thrilled to be launching our community energy toolkit, alongside our MP Kerry McCarthy, to help more people access the benefits of local, renewable power.”
In their toolkit, OVO declared: “At OVO, we believe community energy has a critical role to play in the net zero transition. Through our work setting up Power Purchase Agreements with community energy projects across the UK, we’ve seen first-hand the determination and ambition these groups bring to delivering local, renewable energy.
“But it’s also clear that the system isn’t always set up to let this ambition thrive – with regulatory, financial and structural barriers too often standing in the way.”
They added: “Across the UK, communities are already leading the charge. But getting a project off the ground isn’t always easy.
“That’s why we’ve created People Powered: How Communities Can Fund and Sell Their Own Power – a practical guide to help community groups navigate the complex world of finance and Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs).”
As stated on their website, OVO is dedicated to becoming a net-zero carbon business by 2035. This commitment is detailed in their Plan Zero strategy, which aims to lessen their dependence on offsets and assist UK households in reducing their bill costs.
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