ResPublica welcomes Co-operative Energy as partner for forthcoming project

12^th December 2013

New ResPublica project, 'Unlocking Finance and Investment for Community Energy', to commence January 2014

ResPublica is pleased to announce that Co-operative Energy will be lead partners on ResPublica’s forthcoming research project, ‘Unlocking Finance and Investment for Community Energy’, due to commence in January 2014. Additional opportunities to partner with ResPublica on this project and surrounding activity are still open for third party organisations.

The project will explore how untapped capital, financial intermediaries and communities can be harnessed to invest and support community energy. In addition to Government-led initiatives and established financial services, the research will review the potential role of community finance, emerging peer-to-peer and crowd-funding platforms, and joint venture models between communities and the private sector.

Alongside the planning process, one of the major market barriers faced by community and local energy projects is the sourcing of finance and investment. This project will assess where the market failures lie and propose potential solutions to kick-start lending and attract social investment.

Set to commence with a private roundtable discussion in January 2014, the project will run alongside the ongoing policy development of the main political parties as they begin to set out their stalls for the next general election.

Ramsay Dunning, General Manager at Co-operative Energy said:

“Co-operative Energy is looking to foster innovative ways to unlock the sources of finance needed to broker the long delayed community energy revolution that this country needs.”

ResPublica and Co-operative Energy are inviting other individuals and partners to feed into and support the forthcoming project. Formal partners can also benefit from participating in, and co-branding, on this activity. For further information, please contact Caroline Julian, Head of Research, at caroline.julian@respublica.org.uk.

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