Community initiatives can take many different forms. They encompass a range of technologies and activities across a breadth of scales, determined by the community needs, availability of local natural resources, technologies and funding, and community support.

To decide a desirable and feasible initiative for your community, work through the following questions and activities:

• Get to know your communities priorities - What are the your community’s objectives, values and priorities?

• What are your community energy needs?

• Assess your project ambition - Do you want a quick win project (likely to be small and easier) or a large project (likely to be complex and take a long time and a lot of work). There is nothing wrong with going for quick wins! Be realistic about the capacity within your group.

• Assess your renewable resources - What renewable energy technologies are suitable for your region?

• What could be regulatory barriers and challenges for your respective project ideas? Understand the relevant regulations and policies.

• How will you engage your local community? Determine the level of community participation desired.

• What are desirable governance structures for your initiative? Who should own and implement the project? What is the role of the community?

• Who could help you to better understand your options? Consult with professionals in the community energy field.

After working through these questions, you can prioritize the project type that align with your goals and resources.

Other MyTown Energy resources

• Assess your project ambition

• Assess your renewable resources

• Get to know your communities priorities