My name is Jeremy Thorp and I work for Sharenergy, a not-for-profit cooperative set up in 2011 to provide support to and help set up community energy schemes across the UK. We specialise in the areas of governance, financial planning and raising capital from community shares, but also provide groups more generally with support in the areas of landowner agreements, planning permission/consenting and OFGEM/Feed in Tariff. We also provide low cost administration and accounting services tailored the needs of community energy societies. We have worked with several projects across Wales including Corwen Electricity Cooperative, Ynni Teg, Grannell Community Energy, Ynni Anafon and Egni. We are passionate about helping community energy to grow as a democratic ethical alternative to the multinational energy giants.

Tell us about an experience of your work with Renew…

Through Renew we have given support to the Egni solar PV cooperative, helping them to prepare a robust financial model for their portfolio of PV installations on community building roofs, and then to run a successful share offer to raise the capital for the installations, resulting in a flagship demonstration of welsh community energy.

What is your vision of your region in 2050?

By 2050 the world will have woken up to the importance of CO2, and each kg of carbon will be accounted for, meaning that nothing will be wasted. All biomass will be collected and converted into energy and all buildings will have PV incorporated in them. Energy supply will be dominated by PV and wind power.

Society will have polarised even more into have’s and have not’s (or the powerful, and powerless), unless we push for greater equality. Community ownership is one way of achieving this.