A pioneering UK trial of community renewable energy sharing
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Project NameCLEAR (Community-Led Allocation of Renewables)
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RoleFindings from the early stages of the live trial show savings (to whom?) of more than 3.2p/kWh on matched energy. Modelling suggests communities of 50 homes could save around £3,000 per year, scaling to over £100,000 for regional rollouts. Sitigrid's ESNA accreditation, secured through the project, unlocks the pathway to wider deployment. Final analysis is due October 2025.
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PartnersSitigrid, Rebel Energy, British Gas
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Funded ByEnergy Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme
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LocationCorby, North Northamptonshire
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TimescaleTrial completed 2025; final analysis October 2025
The Challenge
Households with solar panels often export surplus electricity at relatively low prices, while other households import electricity at much higher rates. The value of clean, home-generated electricity is therefore not always shared fairly or efficiently. CLEAR set out to test whether households could benefit from sharing renewable electricity within a defined community, without new hardware, regulatory overhaul, or prohibitive cost.
What we did
Electric Places led the CLEAR project, working with Sitigrid and energy supplier partners to trial peer-to-peer renewable electricity matching for domestic consumers. The project adapted an existing business energy-sharing platform for household use, using smart meter data to match solar export with participating household demand on a half-hourly basis. A key part of our role was navigating the regulatory, supplier, and community engagement challenges needed to test the model within current UK market rules.
Results
CLEAR demonstrated that domestic renewable electricity can be matched in near real time within current regulatory arrangements. Analysis of real-world trial data showed an indicative value of around 7p/kWh for matched electricity. When scaled to a small community of 10 generators and 50 consumers, the approach could unlock around £5,140 per year, shared between generators and participating consumers.
The project also generated important learning on supplier onboarding, data access, consumer recruitment, and the practical conditions needed to scale community energy sharing. Sitigrid’s ESNA accreditation further strengthens the pathway for future deployment.