Tim Braunholtz-Speight

@article{a8fa3cb3106746169fc0cbee352ef9ce,

title = {Smart power to the people: Business models for engaging domestic energy users in smart local energy systems in Britain},

author = {Tim Braunholtz-Speight and Maria Sharmina and Dimitrios Pappas and Janette Webb and Fabián Fuentes González and Matthew Hannon},

doi = {10.1016/j.erss.2024.103443},

issn = {2214-6296},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-04-01},

journal = {Energy Research & Social Science},

volume = {110},

publisher = {Elsevier BV},

abstract = {Smart Local Energy Systems (SLES) are proposed as a method of decarbonising energy systems that uses demand management by energy users to integrate intermittent renewables. SLES therefore require the increasingly active participation of energy users in the operation of energy systems. We spoke to operators and developers of existing local energy systems in Britain today, to understand their business models, and how they interact with users. We find that users are seen as critical to the effective operation of local energy systems. Operators support users to play this role, either through providing advice, or through minimising the amount of adapting to new technologies and techniques users are required to do. Often these users are physically connected to the local energy system, and cannot easily switch to a different system.As widespread deployment of SLES will require the participation of domestic users who currently can easily switch suppliers, better user engagement is a key challenge for SLES. We ran two workshops with local energy system stakeholders to develop business models to address this challenge. We present two outline business models designed to provide increased consumer protection and support to SLES users. We draw on the literature on smart energy users to analyse existing systems and our outline novel business models, discussing the conceptualisation of users that underpins them, their governance and potential conflicts of interest, and who they create value for. We end with suggestions for policy to maximise the potential of these business models to provide socially equitable access to SLES.},

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@article{a19367c0cabd4af0874922e322db8e76,

title = {Financing grassroots innovation diffusion pathways: the case of UK community energy},

author = {Iain Cairns and Matthew Hannon and Tim Braunholtz-Speight and Carly Mclachlan and Sarah Mander and Jeff Hardy and Maria Sharmina and Ed Manderson},

doi = {10.1016/j.eist.2022.11.004},

issn = {2210-4224},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-03-01},

journal = {Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions},

volume = {46},

publisher = {Elsevier BV},

abstract = {This paper explores how finance can better support the diffusion of Grassroots Innovations (GIs), community-led solutions for net-zero transitions. We examine the case of UK community energy (CE), across three ‘diffusion pathways’: niche replication (growth in the number of projects), individual scaling (growth in an organisation's scale) and collective diffusion (a confederation of GIs). We investigate each pathway through analysis of a nationwide survey, interviews and four case studies. We find that while finance currently supports replication of small-scale CE projects, the incompatibility between GIs and the wider finance meta-regime inhibits individual scaling. The UK CE sector has responded with collective diffusion, via business group intermediaries; attracting greater but still insufficient finance. Consequently, for GIs to diffuse effectively, they must be supported to translate across both sectoral regimes (e.g. energy) and broader meta-regimes (e.g. finance). This paper contributes to theory on the role of finance in sociotechnical transitions and the role of intermediaries in GI diffusion.},

note = {Funding Information: Fourth, even though the public sector has intervened, introducing new rule sets into the finance meta-regime to support small scale development, thus far this has been insufficient to drive widespread diffusion of CE. The devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales have moved to address a shortage of capital investment for small scale ventures ( Fig. 2 ). In Scotland, for example, the Scottish Government-backed Energy Investment Fund operates as a secondary lender to supply small sums of capital and de-risk investment for private banks ( Cairns et al., 2020c ). Conversely, smaller scale projects receive limited finance support from the UK government. Publisher Copyright: © 2022},

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@article{bf66da13b556423d80dee7f7da83a724b,

title = {Local energy businesses in the United Kingdom: Clusters and localism determinants based on financial ratios},

author = {Fabián Fuentes González and Janette Webb and Maria Sharmina and Matthew Hannon and Timothy Braunholtz-speight and Dimitrios Pappas},

doi = {10.1016/j.energy.2021.122119},

issn = {0360-5442},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-01-15},

journal = {Energy},

volume = {239},

pages = {122119},

publisher = {Elsevier BV},

abstract = {This paper presents the first financial analysis of the United Kingdom's local energy business sector. This analysis relies on financial ratios and degrees of localism as inputs for descriptive statistics, cluster, and canonical discriminant analyses. Our findings suggest that privately-owned energy businesses, typically with limited commitments to localities, account for the great majority of sectoral assets and turnover, and are in comparatively good financial condition. Highly-local energy businesses typically have low profitability and high reliance on debt. The latter is the key variable differentiating them from other less local energy businesses. Moreover, we find financial commonalities within different groups of local energy businesses, which correlate with their specific level of localism. In the context of increasing digitalisation in energy markets, more technological innovation may help strengthen local energy businesses' revenue sources and value creation. Further research is needed in terms of investability, specific financing terms and conditions, and geographical aspects of value creation, retention, and delivery to localities. This work can improve the understanding of sectoral dynamics and development needs, with value for policy making to incentivise investment in this emerging sector.},

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@article{bf66da13b556423d80dee7f7da83a724,

title = {Local energy businesses in the United Kingdom: Clusters and localism determinants based on financial ratios},

author = {Fabián Fuentes González and Janette Webb and Maria Sharmina and Matthew Hannon and Timothy Braunholtz-speight and Dimitrios Pappas},

doi = {10.1016/j.energy.2021.122119},

issn = {0360-5442},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-01-15},

journal = {Energy},

volume = {239},

pages = {122119},

publisher = {Elsevier BV},

abstract = {This paper presents the first financial analysis of the United Kingdom's local energy business sector. This analysis relies on financial ratios and degrees of localism as inputs for descriptive statistics, cluster, and canonical discriminant analyses. Our findings suggest that privately-owned energy businesses, typically with limited commitments to localities, account for the great majority of sectoral assets and turnover, and are in comparatively good financial condition. Highly-local energy businesses typically have low profitability and high reliance on debt. The latter is the key variable differentiating them from other less local energy businesses. Moreover, we find financial commonalities within different groups of local energy businesses, which correlate with their specific level of localism. In the context of increasing digitalisation in energy markets, more technological innovation may help strengthen local energy businesses' revenue sources and value creation. Further research is needed in terms of investability, specific financing terms and conditions, and geographical aspects of value creation, retention, and delivery to localities. This work can improve the understanding of sectoral dynamics and development needs, with value for policy making to incentivise investment in this emerging sector.},

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@article{eb904061ea1847aba654b1b776da311fb,

title = {Batteries and beyond: multi-vector energy storage as a tool to decarbonise energy services},

author = {Benjamin Greening and Tim Braunholtz-Speight and Ruth Wood and Muir Freer},

issn = {2296-598X},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-01-01},

journal = {Frontiers in Energy Research},

publisher = {Frontiers Media S. A.},

abstract = {With the 2015 Paris Agreement pursuing efforts to limit global temperature increase to below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and the ‘energy trilemma’ goals of energy security, energy equity and environmental sustainability, decarbonisation remains a priority across all of the United Kingdom (UK) energy system, not just electricity. Electricity and thermal energy storage technologies can offer a host of benefits across the energy value chain through the ability to capture, store and then release electricity or thermal energy over a period of time. These benefits include helping capture the full potential of renewable generation and providing services such as frequency response and reserve to Great Britain’s (GB) electricity system. In addition, with the aforementioned climate targets in mind, energy storage can also play a role in facilitating the decarbonisation of other activities and sectors. Here we delve deeper into how energy storage technologies can contribute to both energy sector transformation and more broadly, decarbonisation. Furthermore, we discuss the importance of ensuring a technology-agnostic approach to the development of policy and regulation with relevance to energy storage. This ensures that storage technologies with significant potential to contribute to the ‘energy trilemma’ goals are not precluded from entering the market due to unfavourable policy and regulatory frameworks.},

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@article{eb904061ea1847aba654b1b776da311f,

title = {Batteries and beyond: multi-vector energy storage as a tool to decarbonise energy services},

author = {Benjamin Greening and Tim Braunholtz-Speight and Ruth Wood and Muir Freer},

issn = {2296-598X},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-01-01},

journal = {Frontiers in Energy Research},

publisher = {Frontiers Media S. A.},

abstract = {With the 2015 Paris Agreement pursuing efforts to limit global temperature increase to below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and the ‘energy trilemma’ goals of energy security, energy equity and environmental sustainability, decarbonisation remains a priority across all of the United Kingdom (UK) energy system, not just electricity. Electricity and thermal energy storage technologies can offer a host of benefits across the energy value chain through the ability to capture, store and then release electricity or thermal energy over a period of time. These benefits include helping capture the full potential of renewable generation and providing services such as frequency response and reserve to Great Britain’s (GB) electricity system. In addition, with the aforementioned climate targets in mind, energy storage can also play a role in facilitating the decarbonisation of other activities and sectors. Here we delve deeper into how energy storage technologies can contribute to both energy sector transformation and more broadly, decarbonisation. Furthermore, we discuss the importance of ensuring a technology-agnostic approach to the development of policy and regulation with relevance to energy storage. This ensures that storage technologies with significant potential to contribute to the ‘energy trilemma’ goals are not precluded from entering the market due to unfavourable policy and regulatory frameworks.},

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@article{0014ec7ce3094223b3577ef4b48cdb6fb,

title = {The long term future for community energy in Great Britain: a co-created vision of a thriving sector and steps towards realising it},

author = {Tim Braunholtz-Speight and Carly McLachlan and Sarah Mander and Matthew Hannon and Jeff Hardy and Iain Cairns and Maria Sharmina and Edward Manderson},

doi = {10.1016/j.erss.2021.102044},

issn = {2214-6296},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-06-16},

journal = {Energy Research & Social Science},

volume = {78},

publisher = {Elsevier BV},

abstract = {Explorations of the longer-term potential for community energy to contribute to the energy transition can shape policy and practice today. However, much community energy research in Great Britain is currently, and understandably, focussed on short-term responses to the crisis in the sector induced by recent shifts in policy support. Therefore, we held a series of visioning and backcasting workshops with community energy practitioners and other stakeholders, to co-create a vision of a long term future where there is a thriving community energy sector.This paper presents the results of those workshops. Using the concept of business models to interrogate how community energy could be structured in the future, we find that the sector could diversify from its current focus on renewable electricity generation and energy efficiency, into new areas of the energy system: demand-side flexibility, mobility and heat. We also see potential for a Community Energy Confederation to help bridge the gap between the strengths of local organising, and the opportunities offered by larger scale activities. We identify the importance of actions by government – both at national and local level – to realising this vision, in combination with the efforts of the community energy sector itself of course. We conclude that our research highlights the need for change in the institutional and spatial character of community energy; the sector’s pragmatic attitude to the technological aspects of the energy transition; and its focus on community energy’s role in delivering social and environmental co-benefits, in line with the concept of a just transition.},

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@article{0014ec7ce3094223b3577ef4b48cdb6f,

title = {The long term future for community energy in Great Britain: a co-created vision of a thriving sector and steps towards realising it},

author = {Tim Braunholtz-Speight and Carly McLachlan and Sarah Mander and Matthew Hannon and Jeff Hardy and Iain Cairns and Maria Sharmina and Edward Manderson},

doi = {10.1016/j.erss.2021.102044},

issn = {2214-6296},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-06-16},

journal = {Energy Research & Social Science},

volume = {78},

publisher = {Elsevier BV},

abstract = {Explorations of the longer-term potential for community energy to contribute to the energy transition can shape policy and practice today. However, much community energy research in Great Britain is currently, and understandably, focussed on short-term responses to the crisis in the sector induced by recent shifts in policy support. Therefore, we held a series of visioning and backcasting workshops with community energy practitioners and other stakeholders, to co-create a vision of a long term future where there is a thriving community energy sector.This paper presents the results of those workshops. Using the concept of business models to interrogate how community energy could be structured in the future, we find that the sector could diversify from its current focus on renewable electricity generation and energy efficiency, into new areas of the energy system: demand-side flexibility, mobility and heat. We also see potential for a Community Energy Confederation to help bridge the gap between the strengths of local organising, and the opportunities offered by larger scale activities. We identify the importance of actions by government – both at national and local level – to realising this vision, in combination with the efforts of the community energy sector itself of course. We conclude that our research highlights the need for change in the institutional and spatial character of community energy; the sector’s pragmatic attitude to the technological aspects of the energy transition; and its focus on community energy’s role in delivering social and environmental co-benefits, in line with the concept of a just transition.},

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@article{ca3c5aac20b0423fbeb2cb84b68ee200b,

title = {Business Models and Financial Characteristics of Community Energy in the UK},

author = {Tim Braunholtz-Speight and Maria Sharmina and Edward Manderson and Carly McLachlan and Matthew Hannon and Jeff Hardy and Sarah Mander},

doi = {10.1038/s41560-019-0546-4},

issn = {2058-7546},

year  = {2020},

date = {2020-02-10},

journal = {Nature Energy},

volume = {5},

number = {2},

pages = {169–177},

publisher = {Springer Nature},

abstract = {Where energy systems are dominated by large-scale actors, community energy represents an alternative model: a decentralised and participatory approach to delivering low-carbon energy projects. This paper presents the first UK-wide quantitative analysis of business models, financing mechanisms and financial performance of community energy projects, using data from a new survey of the sector. We find that business models depend partly on the energy technology used and on project size, in addition to fine-tuning of operations to local contexts. While larger projects rely more heavily on loan financing, community shares are the most commonly used and cheapest financial instrument in the sector. Community energy has thus pioneered low cost citizen finance for renewables, but its potential to grow is threatened by reductions, and instability, in policy support. Over 90% of the projects in our sample made a financial surplus in our single year snapshot, but if we remove income from price guarantee mechanisms, such as the Feed-in Tariff scheme, we find that the number of projects in surplus falls to just 20%. Renewed support and/or business model innovations are therefore needed for the sector to realise its potential contribution to the low-carbon energy transition.},

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@article{ca3c5aac20b0423fbeb2cb84b68ee200,

title = {Business Models and Financial Characteristics of Community Energy in the UK},

author = {Tim Braunholtz-Speight and Maria Sharmina and Edward Manderson and Carly McLachlan and Matthew Hannon and Jeff Hardy and Sarah Mander},

doi = {10.1038/s41560-019-0546-4},

issn = {2058-7546},

year  = {2020},

date = {2020-02-10},

journal = {Nature Energy},

volume = {5},

number = {2},

pages = {169–177},

publisher = {Springer Nature},

abstract = {Where energy systems are dominated by large-scale actors, community energy represents an alternative model: a decentralised and participatory approach to delivering low-carbon energy projects. This paper presents the first UK-wide quantitative analysis of business models, financing mechanisms and financial performance of community energy projects, using data from a new survey of the sector. We find that business models depend partly on the energy technology used and on project size, in addition to fine-tuning of operations to local contexts. While larger projects rely more heavily on loan financing, community shares are the most commonly used and cheapest financial instrument in the sector. Community energy has thus pioneered low cost citizen finance for renewables, but its potential to grow is threatened by reductions, and instability, in policy support. Over 90% of the projects in our sample made a financial surplus in our single year snapshot, but if we remove income from price guarantee mechanisms, such as the Feed-in Tariff scheme, we find that the number of projects in surplus falls to just 20%. Renewed support and/or business model innovations are therefore needed for the sector to realise its potential contribution to the low-carbon energy transition.},

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@article{cab90fd0031142c7a8866f475075789ab,

title = {Price support allows communities to raise low-cost citizen finance for renewable energy projects},

author = {Tim Braunholtz-Speight and Maria Sharmina and Edward Manderson and Carly McLachlan and Matthew Hannon and Jeff Hardy and Sarah Mander},

doi = {10.1038/s41560-020-0556-2},

issn = {2058-7546},

year  = {2020},

date = {2020-01-01},

journal = {Nature Energy},

volume = {5},

number = {2},

publisher = {Springer Nature},

abstract = {Community energy groups can raise citizen finance for renewable energy projects at lower interest rates than from commercial lenders, but they often depend on price guarantee schemes. Policies providing price stability and business model innovations are needed to realize the sector’s potential contribution to the zero-carbon energy transition.},

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@article{cab90fd0031142c7a8866f475075789a,

title = {Price support allows communities to raise low-cost citizen finance for renewable energy projects},

author = {Tim Braunholtz-Speight and Maria Sharmina and Edward Manderson and Carly McLachlan and Matthew Hannon and Jeff Hardy and Sarah Mander},

doi = {10.1038/s41560-020-0556-2},

issn = {2058-7546},

year  = {2020},

date = {2020-01-01},

journal = {Nature Energy},

volume = {5},

number = {2},

publisher = {Springer Nature},

abstract = {Community energy groups can raise citizen finance for renewable energy projects at lower interest rates than from commercial lenders, but they often depend on price guarantee schemes. Policies providing price stability and business model innovations are needed to realize the sector’s potential contribution to the zero-carbon energy transition.},

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@article{3c962b40e4a64dd2ab23327b73c19153b,

title = {Community energy: Entanglements of community, state, and private sector},

author = {Emily Creamer and Will Eadson and Bregje van Veelen and Annabel Pinker and Margaret Tingey and Tim Braunholtz-Speight and Marianna Markantoni and Mike Foden and Max Lacey-Barnacle},

doi = {10.1111/gec3.12378},

issn = {1749-8198},

year  = {2018},

date = {2018-06-28},

journal = {Geography Compass},

volume = {12},

number = {7},

publisher = {John Wiley & Sons Ltd},

abstract = {The decarbonisation of energy systems is leading to a reconfiguration of the geographies of energy. One example is the emergence of community energy, which has become a popular object of study for geographers. Although widely acknowledged to be a contested, capacious, and flexible term, “community energy” is commonly presented as singular, bounded, and localised. In this paper, we challenge this conception of community energy by considering evidence about the role and influence of three categories of actors: community, state, and private sector. We demonstrate how community energy projects are unavoidably entangled with a diversity of actors and institutions operating at and across multiple scales. We therefore argue that community energy is enabled and constituted by trans-scalar assemblages of overlapping actors, which demands multi-sectoral participation and coordination. We point to the need for further academic attention on the boundaries between these actors to better understand the role of different intermediary practices and relationships in facilitating the development of decentralised energy systems with just outcomes.},

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@article{3c962b40e4a64dd2ab23327b73c19153,

title = {Community energy: Entanglements of community, state, and private sector},

author = {Emily Creamer and Will Eadson and Bregje van Veelen and Annabel Pinker and Margaret Tingey and Tim Braunholtz-Speight and Marianna Markantoni and Mike Foden and Max Lacey-Barnacle},

doi = {10.1111/gec3.12378},

issn = {1749-8198},

year  = {2018},

date = {2018-06-28},

journal = {Geography Compass},

volume = {12},

number = {7},

publisher = {John Wiley & Sons Ltd},

abstract = {The decarbonisation of energy systems is leading to a reconfiguration of the geographies of energy. One example is the emergence of community energy, which has become a popular object of study for geographers. Although widely acknowledged to be a contested, capacious, and flexible term, “community energy” is commonly presented as singular, bounded, and localised. In this paper, we challenge this conception of community energy by considering evidence about the role and influence of three categories of actors: community, state, and private sector. We demonstrate how community energy projects are unavoidably entangled with a diversity of actors and institutions operating at and across multiple scales. We therefore argue that community energy is enabled and constituted by trans-scalar assemblages of overlapping actors, which demands multi-sectoral participation and coordination. We point to the need for further academic attention on the boundaries between these actors to better understand the role of different intermediary practices and relationships in facilitating the development of decentralised energy systems with just outcomes.},

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@article{dbef30f9607c4405a7e3b005a5940f47b,

title = {Scottish community land initiatives:: going beyond the locality to enable local empowerment},

author = {Timothy Braunholtz-Speight},

doi = {10.3351/ppp.0009.0002.0004},

issn = {1753-8041},

year  = {2015},

date = {2015-07-17},

journal = {People, Place and Policy Online},

volume = {9},

number = {2},

pages = {123–138},

publisher = {Sheffield Hallam University, Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research},

abstract = {This paper employs Gaventa’s ‘powercube’ framework to examine how the Scottish community land movement has woven together different forms and sources of power in pursuit of local development. It finds that, while localism is a strong element in community land action, connections to institutions operating at wider spatial levels have been vital to the growth of the movement. It explores the Scottish Highlands and Islands context that has facilitated these connections. It also discusses the movement’s relationship with states and markets, noting both its emergence in the context of their perceived failures, but also analysing its engagement with them. It draws on primary research carried out by the author in Scotland, including ethnographic research into the working of two community land initiatives at local level, and into the community land movement more widely. It concludes with some remarks about community-led development, states and austerity; and contemporary developments in Scotland.},

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@article{dbef30f9607c4405a7e3b005a5940f47,

title = {Scottish community land initiatives:: going beyond the locality to enable local empowerment},

author = {Timothy Braunholtz-Speight},

doi = {10.3351/ppp.0009.0002.0004},

issn = {1753-8041},

year  = {2015},

date = {2015-07-17},

journal = {People, Place and Policy Online},

volume = {9},

number = {2},

pages = {123–138},

publisher = {Sheffield Hallam University, Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research},

abstract = {This paper employs Gaventa’s ‘powercube’ framework to examine how the Scottish community land movement has woven together different forms and sources of power in pursuit of local development. It finds that, while localism is a strong element in community land action, connections to institutions operating at wider spatial levels have been vital to the growth of the movement. It explores the Scottish Highlands and Islands context that has facilitated these connections. It also discusses the movement’s relationship with states and markets, noting both its emergence in the context of their perceived failures, but also analysing its engagement with them. It draws on primary research carried out by the author in Scotland, including ethnographic research into the working of two community land initiatives at local level, and into the community land movement more widely. It concludes with some remarks about community-led development, states and austerity; and contemporary developments in Scotland.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

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@article{a19367c0cabd4af0874922e322db8e76b,

title = {Financing grassroots innovation diffusion pathways: the case of UK community energy},

author = {Iain Cairns and Matthew Hannon and Tim Braunholtz-Speight and Carly Mclachlan and Sarah Mander and Jeff Hardy and Maria Sharmina and Ed Manderson},

doi = {10.1016/j.eist.2022.11.004},

issn = {2210-4224},

journal = {Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions},

volume = {46},

publisher = {Elsevier BV},

abstract = {This paper explores how finance can better support the diffusion of Grassroots Innovations (GIs), community-led solutions for net-zero transitions. We examine the case of UK community energy (CE), across three ‘diffusion pathways’: niche replication (growth in the number of projects), individual scaling (growth in an organisation's scale) and collective diffusion (a confederation of GIs). We investigate each pathway through analysis of a nationwide survey, interviews and four case studies. We find that while finance currently supports replication of small-scale CE projects, the incompatibility between GIs and the wider finance meta-regime inhibits individual scaling. The UK CE sector has responded with collective diffusion, via business group intermediaries; attracting greater but still insufficient finance. Consequently, for GIs to diffuse effectively, they must be supported to translate across both sectoral regimes (e.g. energy) and broader meta-regimes (e.g. finance). This paper contributes to theory on the role of finance in sociotechnical transitions and the role of intermediaries in GI diffusion.},

note = {Funding Information: Fourth, even though the public sector has intervened, introducing new rule sets into the finance meta-regime to support small scale development, thus far this has been insufficient to drive widespread diffusion of CE. The devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales have moved to address a shortage of capital investment for small scale ventures ( Fig. 2 ). In Scotland, for example, the Scottish Government-backed Energy Investment Fund operates as a secondary lender to supply small sums of capital and de-risk investment for private banks ( Cairns et al., 2020c ). Conversely, smaller scale projects receive limited finance support from the UK government. Publisher Copyright: © 2022},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{a8fa3cb3106746169fc0cbee352ef9ceb,

title = {Smart power to the people: Business models for engaging domestic energy users in smart local energy systems in Britain},

author = {Tim Braunholtz-Speight and Maria Sharmina and Dimitrios Pappas and Janette Webb and Fabián Fuentes González and Matthew Hannon},

doi = {10.1016/j.erss.2024.103443},

issn = {2214-6296},

journal = {Energy Research & Social Science},

volume = {110},

publisher = {Elsevier BV},

abstract = {Smart Local Energy Systems (SLES) are proposed as a method of decarbonising energy systems that uses demand management by energy users to integrate intermittent renewables. SLES therefore require the increasingly active participation of energy users in the operation of energy systems. We spoke to operators and developers of existing local energy systems in Britain today, to understand their business models, and how they interact with users. We find that users are seen as critical to the effective operation of local energy systems. Operators support users to play this role, either through providing advice, or through minimising the amount of adapting to new technologies and techniques users are required to do. Often these users are physically connected to the local energy system, and cannot easily switch to a different system.As widespread deployment of SLES will require the participation of domestic users who currently can easily switch suppliers, better user engagement is a key challenge for SLES. We ran two workshops with local energy system stakeholders to develop business models to address this challenge. We present two outline business models designed to provide increased consumer protection and support to SLES users. We draw on the literature on smart energy users to analyse existing systems and our outline novel business models, discussing the conceptualisation of users that underpins them, their governance and potential conflicts of interest, and who they create value for. We end with suggestions for policy to maximise the potential of these business models to provide socially equitable access to SLES.},

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pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}