Planning and Implementing Community Engagement for Local Authority Renewable Energy Strategies (LARES)

SEAI Logo 285

Organisation profile

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland was established as Ireland's national energy authority under the Sustainable Energy Act 2002. SEAI's mission is to play a leading role in transforming Ireland into a society based on sustainable energy structures, technologies and practices. To fulfil this mission SEAI aims to provide well-timed and informed advice to Government, and deliver a range of programmes efficiently and effectively, while engaging and motivating a wide range of stakeholders.

Training aim

To assist in the process of the development of LARES in a way which:
– Promotes the need for RE developments
– Helps create acceptance of such developments
– Reduces opposition to resulting projects

Learning objectives

On completion of the programme, participants will be able to:
– Understand and apply the principles of consultation, participation and information-giving
– Apply the differences between these in a policy and project context
– Assess the benefits of different engagement mechanisms in different contexts
– Identify and create the attitudes which a good consultation process requires

– Prepare a consultation or participation plan and brief a consultant in the execution of such a plan if necessary   

Course outline

Overall workshop objective
Why develop a LARES?
Key Energy Issues for  Ireland
Issues
Policy Development
A Local RE Action Plan
Collaborative planning
Consultation, participation & information
Ethics of participation & consultation
Consultation & participation in different contexts
Techniques 1 & 2
Consultation, participation & the law
Designing a project participation or consultation process
Using the outcomes of the process
What is being asked of participants in the process

Group Exercise

Trainer's profile

Ciaran Lynch (BSc MSc Dip Ag Sc. D Gov.) worked as a Local Authority planner for over twenty years and has been working in Tipperary Institute/LIT for nearly twenty more. He has both theoretical and practical experience of designing and implementing consultation and participation processes and has lectured on the topic both to students and various external organisations, has written on the topic and presented at many conferences over the years. 

Course duration

9.30 a.m. - 2.00 p.m.

Assessment & certification

CPD Hours

Who should attend

Planners, local and regional authority staff, consultants and other professionals, who may engage with producing local and regional authority renewable energy strategies.

Website

https://www.seai.ie/