November 2014: DECC have announced the new Urban Community Energy Fund – (UCEF) – trailed earlier this year in the government’s Community Energy Strategy – is now open to applications. The fund provides:
- a £10m fund to kick-start renewable energy generation projects in urban communities across England
- Grants of up to £20,000 for the more speculative, early stages of a project’s development, such as public consultation and preliminary viability studies.
- Loans of up to £130,000 to develop planning applications and a robust business case to attract further investment.
Full details – including an eligibility checker for organisations can be viewed here.
CSE and Pure Leapfrog are running a free one-day surgery in London for community groups, which aims to get them ready to make an application to the Urban Community Energy Fund. The event runs from 10am – 4pm on Monday 15 December at the Directory of Social Change.