The Blueskin Energy Network is a peer to peer community electricity retail service started by Blueskin Energy Ltd in 2017.
It is a community-commercial collaboration with YES Power, and BEL aims for it to become fully community owned and operated over time. YES Power provides the back room retail service and trading algorithm.
BEN electricity retail is available through all of Otago and Southland. BEN aims to provide cleaner, cheaper, smarter power and has 60+ customers. BEN seeks to use new information technology to democratise and decarbonise the grid, providing community benefit.
The biggest challenge in growing the model has been the lack of seed funding.
BEL’s longstanding community presence and experience in energy efficiency, wind power, as well as its work with the University of Otago on flexibility in the energy system, the partnership on BEN with YES Power, and the simplicity of the system have all been key to the project’s success to date.
