City Community Energy Made Simple

Cities and local communities could be a step closer to sourcing their own energy production online following SmartKlub’s successful feasibility study for a “Local Energy Marketplace”.

The study, part funded by InnovateUK, shows that it is technically feasible to bring willing buyers and sellers together into an online community.  The concept was a winner of the organisation’s Integrated Supply Chains for Energy Systems Competition.

Charles Bradshaw Smith, CEO of SmartKlub:  

“Our biggest challenge will be stimulating membership to create a critical mass of participants, but we are encouraged by our market research which shows that 91 percent of potential customer and supplier respondents agreed it was a good or very good idea.”

“Even better 95 percent of customers and 67 percent of suppliers said that they would use it.”

The next stage is to set up a collaborative R&D project, which SmartKlub is hoping will also be sponsored by InnovateUK.  The planning for this next stage of the competition starts on 6 October.

“We have formed a number of key relationships with suppliers, data source owners and a key local authority that should form the basis of the collaborative R&D that we now need to complete. “

The online Local Energy Marketplace is one of SmartKlub’s key offers for working with cities and local communities to achieve its vision of “Empowering Cities Together”.