Community Energy Roadmap

Our interactive Community Energy Roadmap walks you through every step of setting up a community energy group, from finding like-minded members, all the way to installing renewable assets and securing PPAs. Clear, practical, and easy to follow, it's your guide to bringing community energy ideas to life.

Discovery Phase Development Phase Project Planning Phase Funding Phase Construction Phase Post-Build Phase
Construction Phase
Construction Phase
Glasgow Community Energy showcasing their solar panels.

Apply for permits/planning

  • Check local authority regulations, grid connection rules, and environmental impact assessments for any possible hurdles and costs you may incur when obtaining planning permission[LW1]  (see Permissions section).
  • Obtain Environmental & Landowner Permissions – Ensure compliance with environmental regulations and secure lease agreements if needed.
  • Address Any Planning Objections – Engage with local authorities and community stakeholders to resolve concerns.
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Construction Phase
The Younity team presenting to a packed audience, engaging and sharing insights.

Community Engagement

  • Update your investors & the local community on how the project construction is going – this could be through newsletters, social media, and public meetings.
  • If your project may have an impact on any local people (e.g. noise or road closures), provide channels for feedback and maintain transparency on construction impacts. The community will feel much more involved and on board, and most importantly, listened to.
  • Where possible, involve local schools, businesses, and residents to build long-term community support. You could offer the local college the chance to shadow the solar panel installation, or work with a small business to promote the project.
  • Plan an official opening ceremony to celebrate project milestones with the community. Invite local politicians, celebrities and key people to attend – make a big fuss about your project!
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Construction Phase
Engineers installing solar panels on a rooftop project.

Installation

Although most of this will be in the hands of the installer, it’s good to be aware of the following steps.

  • Ensure health & safety procedures are in place, and site access is secured. You should receive a Risk Assessment and Method Statement ahead of the installation.
  • Support the coordination of deliveries, oversee installation, and conduct regular progress checks with the installers and the sites themselves.
  •  Obtain necessary certifications (e.g., MCS, DNO approval) to confirm system readiness.
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Construction Phase

Getting set up with Younity

Import MPAN

  • You will need to know the import MPAN of the electricity supply you want to connect to. This is a 13-digit unique number and can be found on any electricity bill from the site’s current supplier. If you don’t have bills handy, you can ask the supplier to provide the number.

Export MPAN

  • You will need to request an export MPAN through your DNO (Distribution Network Operator). The DNO manages the local power distribution network and is usually the organisation you received your Grid Connection Agreement from.
  • If you’re unsure who your DNO is, you can use this Energy Networks Association page (look for your “electricity network operator”).
  • If this is a new site with no import supply yet, you can request both import and export MPANs from the DNO at the same time.

Meter Operator (MOP)

  • You will need to appoint a Meter Operator (MOP). In the UK, every electricity meter must have a MOP responsible for maintaining the meter. Export meters are half-hourly, meaning they record energy flows at half-hourly intervals. Readings are then collected by a Data Collector (DC) and passed to a Data Aggregator (DA).
  • You must have a current contract with a MOP.
  • You can also appoint a DC and DA; if you don’t, we will appoint IMServ free of charge (most sites take this approach).
  • If you don’t know who the MOP is for the import (and cannot find out from the site), we can look this up on the National Database.
  • Note: Both import and export meters must have the same MOP. DC and DA can differ for import and export.

Register Your Meter and Site

  • Once you have a MOP contract in place (and have received your export MPAN from the DNO if applicable), we can register your meter(s) and site.

Understanding Your Quote

  • In our quotes, you will find:

  1. An offer for the power price (paid for every MWh of energy exported).

  2. A REGO price (for each REGO certificate you transfer to us, which must be done as part of the PPA).

An estimated price for embedded benefits (savings or payments available to generators directly connected to distribution networks). These benefits aren’t set by us, but we provide estimates for potential additional income.

Quote Validity

  • The total amount offered is valid until 3pm each day. If not accepted by then, it will need to be refreshed as prices change with the volatile wholesale market.
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