CSE, Power to change and Cooperatives UK want to stop community energy groups ‘reinventing the wheel’ and are recruiting up to ten mentors to help groups. The aim is to speed up the learning process, create successful and replicable projects, and identify and understand the wider opportunities and challenges of the community energy sector.
Next Generation, the peer mentoring programme aims to harness the skills, enthusiasm and expertise of the community energy sector. Funded by Power to Change, the programme will encourage shared learning of the Next Generation initiative in order to replicate business models and support sustainable, viable and innovative community businesses focused on environmental innovation.
Keith Hempshall, Centre for Sustainable Energy, says: “We are excited by the opportunity that the mentoring programme represents, and look forward to welcoming our first group of mentors very soon.”
In the first phase of the programme we’re recruiting up to ten passionate and enthusiastic people to share their knowledge and experience with a small group of less-experienced (but equally enthusiastic) community energy groups.
The peer mentors must be:
- From an established community energy group which has developed one or more innovative projects.
- An individual, sole trader or consultant with specific community energy technology expertise.
- From another organisation such as a local authority or parish council with expertise in the community energy sector.
There will be up to four mentees to each mentor. Mentoring will be around the topics identified in a match-making process that will take place as part of the recruitment process.
Applications for mentoring organisations close on 15 February 2021, while community energy groups developing innovative projects will be able to apply to receive peer mentoring support in late February.
Application details for mentors to apply can be found here.