“They made gunpowder … yes down by the river there, that's your energy source”: attitudes towards community renewable energy in Cumbria

Energy justice: A conceptual review

“…It also fails to recognise the sincerity of many concerns voiced by local opponents. When framed in distributive or procedural terms, these interests are often altruistic (for the good of the broader local community) and based on demands for fair and respectful treatment (Gormally et al 2014) …”

Renewable energy scenarios: Exploring technology, acceptance and climate – Options at the community-scale

“…It is located in the South Lakeland District of Cumbria in the North-west of England and is situated between the boundaries of the Lake District National Park and the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It has a population of 378 inhabitants (source: 2001 census; key statistics) and achieved a high response rate (61%) to the household questionnaire survey on community energy carried out in an earlier phase of this research (Gormally et al, 2013).…”

“…This constrained both the technology choice and scale of technologies. Information gathered on what the community would be willing to accept was taken from questionnaires and interviews with residents (for more detailed information on outputs from this research see Gormally et al, (2013)). The modification by societal acceptance will be detailed for each scenario in section 3: 'Scenario Selections and Results'.…”

“…The concept of generating and using locally-owned energy is gaining popularity with residents in the UK, with the number of energy schemes labelled as 'community-based' rising to over 1000 in 2012 (Hargreaves et al, 2012). This is partly due to concerns over increasing fuel prices, with consumers wanting to become more independent from large energy providers and having more control over where their energy comes from (Butler et al, 2012, Watson et al, 2008, Gormally et al, 2013. The UK coalition government declared support for community-based activities, releasing it's first 'Community Energy Strategy' recognising the 'advantages that community-based action offers energy and climate change policy' (DECC, 2014, p.3) Given the perceived relevance community energy could have in promoting low carbon technologies and reducing local demand, this paper examines the technical, societal and environmental aspects of local schemes by exploring the potential contributions of renewable supply and demand-side options for a case study community, using a set of exploratory scenarios.…”

“…The second phase involved using quantitative and qualitative methods to assess residents' attitudes to renewable energy, in three Cumbrian communities. Themes included attitudes towards localised ownership of renewable energy, involvement in local energy schemes and preference towards different renewable technologies (Gormally et al, 2013). The communities were chosen using the results of the spatial analysis conducted in the initial phase, which identified them as having high resource potential for a portfolio of renewable technologies.…”