Shortly after a sold-out First Nations Clean Energy Network’s Symposium in early May, I finally began my long journey to the United Kingdom, but not before a rousing community consultation with Ngardara Co-operative and Borroloola Traditional Owners .

With plenty of time to let my mind wander on back-to-back long haul flights I began to mull over the global resonance of the power struggle that belies the energy transition. That at its heart, the very real struggle for participation and benefit in communities like Borroloola and Wujal Wujal, echoes internationally.

At a time where a multitude of global issues bear down on us that seem beyond our reach to address, the earnest desire of communities to see the localisation of decision making and benefit in the energy transition is not just a First Nations consciousness. There seems to be a growing need for local consciousness, above and beyond just energy.

With those thoughts simmering I hit the ground running from my base in London, co-ordinating the final logistics for over 25 interviews with people across England and Scotland’s energy ecosystem in the coming 5 weeks.

The Who’s Who of Week 1

During my first week I was lucky enough to meet with:

• Innovate UK,
• Two meetings at Parliament including The Parliamentary Renewable & Sustainable Energy Group’s (PRASEG) AGM and a one on one with Shadow Minister for Energy Security, Alan Whitehead (Labour),
• Community Energy London,
• Oxford City Council, and
• The Australian High Commission.

While deep in the throes of jet lag, David Green was kind enough to host a dinner with fellow Australian and British energy transition enthusiasts where Commonwealth connections were celebrated over curries.

Images below (L to R): Dinner with James Grugeon (Warmworks, Climate Reality Project), a gleaming Big Ben on the way to a PRASEG meeting, Parliament tour with Peter Aldous MP and David Green ending at the Thames, a quick snap at Australia House/Gringotts Bank.

5 Key Reflections from Week 1

1. A tension and an opportunity exists at the thresholds of Community Energy and Local Energy which in the UK are considered distinct interventions. I look forward to further exploring the tensions of ‘place based’ energy over the coming weeks.
2. Despite the centralised governance of the UK, Local Governments can play a critical role in supporting the vitality of an energy transition that retains benefits locally. Whether it’s through the development of dedicated innovation departments or a local underwriting scheme to help attract pre-commercial and commercial sources of funding for community led projects local councils can position themselves to facilitate a pipeline of considerable opportunity.
3. A meaningful commitment to a renewables transition could consider progressively and intentionally side lining gas to Frequency Control Ancillary Services (FCAS) markets to help reduce competition for much needed strategic attention and concentrate it on reducing barriers to critical smart and renewable infrastructure design.
4. There is a risk in driving the political will of the energy transition from a net zero perspective alone. Certain national narratives in the UK risk positioning renewables in a zero sum game between decarbonisation and cost of living. One does not inherently exclude the other. Placing the energy trilemma and the decentralise, democratise, and decarbonise frameworks at the centre of policy and strategic design ensures purposeful and politically resilient initiatives find longevity.
5. Local Governments can play an incredibly useful role in enabling processes for local planning approvals, while social licence doesn’t need to be limited to proponent-driven responses. How much bottom-up influence and participation are national political power and legacy markets willing to entertain?

Recommended Reading for the Week

Innovate UK’s Prospering from the Energy Revolution Programme.

Where to Next?

After a week in London, Week 2 will kick off my great British rail journey with Cornwall, Bristol, and Oxford!