Solar Power
Allotments
Solar Power Allotments
The Power Allotments Devon project was established to inspire and enable communities across Devon to identify a five-acre site within their local area for a biodiverse, community-owned renewable energy project. Over a twelve-month period, concluding in April 2023, individuals and groups with a strong commitment to climate action came together to explore practical opportunities for local power generation. Using the mapping tools, resources, and guidance provided by the project, participants proposed a range of potential sites and generation concepts.
The project demonstrated clearly that local communities possess both the motivation and the capability to identify viable renewable energy sites. However, it also highlighted the structural challenges that currently limit the delivery of community-owned energy projects at this scale. Under prevailing market conditions, high installation and financing costs significantly exceed projected long-term revenues from power sales, rendering traditional business models unviable. In addition, constrained grid capacity in the region, coupled with costly export limitations, lengthy connection timelines, and expensive infrastructure upgrades, presents further barriers to progress.
Despite these challenges, the findings point to clear opportunities for innovation and reform. Unlocking the potential of community energy will require the development of alternative routes to market, potentially supported by targeted policy and legislative changes, new approaches by network operators, and innovation in local supply arrangements, virtual power sales, or corporate partnerships.
With the right support framework in place, community energy can play a vital role in accelerating the transition to net zero while delivering local economic, environmental, and social benefits. Strengthening support mechanisms will be key to enabling these projects to move from concept to construction and into long-term community ownership.