Report calls for more support for community energy projects

The government must provide more support for community green energy projects if it is to meet its emissions targets, a new report has stated.

Britain must follow the example set by Germany, which generates a quarter of its renewable energy through communities, according the ResPublica think tank.

Ed Mayo, ResPublica Fellow, said: "The beauty of co-operatively-owned, community-level renewable energy is that it solves the twin issues of social acceptance and economic efficiency."

The report, which contains a number of recommendations to the government, has been backed by environmental campaigners, such as Friends of the Earth.

At present, the Big Six energy suppliers provide 99% of the energy to meet the country's needs.

Community projects could help households in fuel poverty to find an alternative way of receiving power.

Philip Blond set up ResPublica as an independent think tank in 2009 in order to bring practical solutions to the table on a wide range of socio-economic issues.