With three quarters declaring Climate Emergencies, local authorities are seen as key agents in helping to secure the energy transition to meet the United Kingdom Government’s Net Zero commitment. Having already committed significant political credibility, local authorities are now seeking ways to finance or enable local actors, including Small and Medium Sized
Enterprises (SMEs) and community groups, to develop Renewable Energy (RE) generation. The research presented in the paper aims to address two key questions; firstly, by better understanding the barriers in the investment decision-making process, how can local authorities scale up the deployment of RE projects: secondly, what needs to change to help local authorities and others improve RE investment decision-making?