CORNWALL Council said it was taking the next steps towards a better future for its communities and residents.

The way energy is produced and used changing and the council said the county has been at the forefront of the emergence of technologies to generate clean energy in the UK.

Cornwall Council and the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership are now taking steps to place Cornwall at the forefront of changes to the energy market. As technology develops so do the opportunities for people to buy and sell energy differently and to retain a greater proportion of the revenues associated with producing the energy needed within the local economy.

The development of these new ‘local energy markets’ could help Cornwall to retain millions of pounds within the local economy as the required technologies and structures are developed. Developments are underway and this month the Piclo trial will be formally launched.

Piclo is a collaboration between energy start-up Open Utility and green energy provider Good Energy. The service is the UK’s first online market for renewable energy, allowing consumers and generators to buy and sell renewable energy directly. The trial will run for six months and much of the activity is taking place in Cornwall, linking locally-owned energy with local businesses.

Welcoming the news that Cornwall is well represented as part of the Piclo trial, Julian German, the council’s cabinet member for economy and culture, said: ‘Cornwall has a history of innovation and the emergence of decentralised energy represents a real opportunity to grow our economy and help tackle some of the challenges, such as fuel poverty, which face many of Cornwall’s residents.’