MPs: UK must protect aid for community-led energy access

In December 2024, Vanesa Castán Broto submitted evidence to a call from the International Development Committee in Parliament based on research and findings from the ESRC GCRF/UKRI-funded project CESET (Community Energy and Sustainable Energy Transitions in Ethiopia, Malawi and Mozambique).

Access the report publication: Empowering Development: Energy Access for Communities

The CESET (Community Energy and Sustainable Energy Transitions in Ethiopia, Malawi and Mozambique) project examined how community energy was constituted in heterogeneous ways across different geographies. A key insight was that community energy had multiple benefits beyond providing specific energy services and expanded the range of uses for electricity, for example, creating opportunities for small businesses and education where there were none. Vanesa’s evidence outlined definitions of community energy aligned with international development objectives. It explained how community energy helps meet the requirements of Sustainable Development Goal 7, to ensure affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all by 2030. It outlined the range of benefits in a single table to demonstrate that community energy tends to facilitate democratisation and inclusion of electricity networks. It also highlighted the difficulties of delivering community energy, especially accessing reliable finance sources. The evidence submitted also outlined strategies to facilitate social inclusion from an intersectional perspective. 

One year later, the International Development Committee of the House of Commons has published a report which recognises the diverse benefits of community energy. The report, called Empowering Development: Energy Access for Communities (HC 849), centres on inclusion and highlights the importance of community inclusion in any project to deliver community energy.

The report provides evidence for the UK government to protect funding for community-led energy projects, as they have demonstrated a tangible impact so far. Alongside other community energy projects, our research shows they depend on grants and predictable support. International development funds are significant for many projects, but most receive capital only during establishment, missing the costs of maintenance and the unexpected risks that can cause breakdowns. Also, projects need to adapt to the rising demand they generate as people find new uses for the electricity they provide.

In light of the evidence, the Committee recommends that the Government ensure that multilateral funding offers opportunities to scale community energy projects and that the UK uses its convening power to foster local innovation, for example, by facilitating partnerships or exchanges between the UK and counterparts in lower-income countries.