We will refine the legal structure and financial model to overcome the barriers of smart local energy systems being perceived as high risk for investment. We will reduce this perception of risk by creating Community Energy Services Company (CESCO) with multiple income streams and assets to reduce the risk. A slightly larger project will also be of interest to investors. We will use two locations -- Bethesda and Blaenau Ffestiniog - as examples to base the format of an innovative CESCO to manage the local generation via a local energy market to provide power to EV charging, and heat and power to households and businesses at a reduced rate compared to a standard supply. The heat network will be fed by communal heat pumps and we will work to refine the design to meet local needs especially those of the most vulnerable. We will work on engagement in Bethesda and Blaenau to encourage participation in a heat network and community transport, will and tailor the design to their needs. Alongside this we will continue to develop means to provide area wide retrofit schemes to reduce costs. This will ensure that the project is inclusive to all demograhics as possible. This work will strengthen our case to get investment and grant funding to demonstrate the financial model and then replicate it.

This innovative project will use the local natural energy resources and develop a new community heating approach to drastically reduce bills whilst providing low carbon warmth. It will focus on including the most vulnerable and at risk of social isolation, those with English as a second language, the elderly in danger of rural isolation and the fuel poor. It will build on work to date to engage and support households in areas of severe fuel poverty in rural North Wales and deprived areas of London. The community will lead on the development of a heat network business plan, with outreach via events and one to one meetings designed to include those in the community who are hardest to reach. This will ensure that the planning and developments are inclusive as well as providing representative feedback for technological innovation and improvements to our current online energy dashboard and app. The innovative community heat network fed by local renewables will provide opportunities for training, education and employment in the area as well as the environment benefits of reducing carbon emissions through using renewable energy locally and provoking consumption behaviour change. This will be enabled by innovative use of batteries to avoid network constraints. We will work to find different payment structures for heat to make it as easy as possible for those in risk of fuel poverty to participate.

The 3-month project will be led by Gwynedd Council, together with Energy Local, who develop local energy markets and Community Energy Wales, which promotes community energy across Wales. The project will work closely with two community partners, Partneriaeth Ogwen and Cwmni Bro Ffestiniog, to: * Develop innovative business models to derisk the development of new local energy markets and community heating markets linked to renewables in the communities of Blaenau Ffestiniog and Bethesda in North Wales. This work will attract public & private financing finance and benefit local businesses and households who can purchase low-cost clean power and heat. * Development of a business plan to extend and develop a network for Bikes, e-bikes, community electric vehicles and charging points for cars and buses. This network will improve access to work and education spaces and increase income to renewables providers via charging both local and tourist vehicles. * Liaise with the Welsh Government and Transport for Wales (TfW) to charnge e-buses from local renewables and to support the innovative business models for community renewables and heat. * Develop a business plan to develop digital services using a smart data platform powered by the Internet of Things (IoT) with the potential for a Welsh-wide company to collect smart meter data.. * Community engagement and sensitisation on the potential for new renewables, particularly wind and map development of potential new sites for renewable infrastructure. * Develop a plan to increase the capacity of local educational establishments to develop local renewable projects. The project will provide innovative business models to finance new renewables infrastructure using novel local energy markets as a long-term revenue generator to overcome financing barriers. It will develop a plan to coordinate heat, transport and power to maximise the benefits and support the local economy whilst decarbonising, meeting net-zero targets and developing local skills and capacity to accelerate projects. The potential and benefits will also be clearly communicated to communities to sustain buy-in. The final project report will include future plans, next steps, costings, roles and responsibilities.

There is a national goal to decarbonise and electrify heating and transport. We are exploring ways to use local renewable energy to reduce carbon and costs whilst minimising congestion constraints on the local electricity networks. We will build on our existing work where local consumers use renewable power when in is generated through an Energy Local Club. We will test tools to optimise demand matching to renewable generation, factoring in smart controls, the Internet of Things and, of course, household comfort and ease of use. We will also explore the emerging flexibility contracts that are now available to domestic customers, whereby; in return for payment; the network may ask them to turn things on or off to help balance the grid with Demand Side Response. Controlling the demand and generation balance will also support network operators by reducing the stress and constraints at peak times, resulting in lower connection costs for new installations or properties.