ISLET goes to Procida: Advancing the Energy Transition on Europe’s Small Islands

From 27 to 29 May, the partners of the LIFE ISLET project gathered in Procida, Italy, for a pivotal Consortium Meeting marking the project’s halfway point. The gathering offered not only a moment to reflect and plan strategically, but also a stage for key exchanges, field visits, and new milestones in the journey toward sustainable island energy transitions.

On May 27, the consortium organised a peer-to-peer session for representatives of European small islands who are planning or already developing Renewable Energy Communities (RECs). The session brought together councillors, mayors, vice-mayors, and representatives of organisations supporting municipal energy transition efforts. Participants included representatives from the islands of Astypalea, Skiathos, Kythnos and Tilos (Greece), Ischia and Procida (Italy), Gozo and Malta, Cres and Lošinj (Croatia), and Eigg (Scotland).

The peer-to-peer session fostered a successful exchange of shared experiences, best practices, and solutions to overcome the key challenges that can arise throughout the process of creating a REC.

The dialogue evolved into a deeper exploration of how islands can practically equip themselves to support energy communities – not just technically, but socially and institutionally. Participantsreflected on strategies to turn community engagement into lasting structures, as well as on the ongoing tension between national policies and local capabilities.

Many reflections circled back to one key question: “What’s in it for me?”, a question that arised from the community not only in the first stages of the discussion, but also when the process was far along.

Keeping a clear and shared sense of purpose helps sustain motivation across the ups and downs of implementation. Whether the goal is cheaper electricity, energy sovereignty, or taking action against the climate crisis, finding the shared “why” and having it at the forefront of all communication to the community makes a difference.

Some takeaways, included:

• Beyond information: true participation. It is not enough to inform citizens after decisions are made.
• Transparency builds trust. Residents engage likely when the process is transparent and accessible.
• Act on what you hear. Listening to people isn’t enough – you must act on their input.
• Tailored engagement strategies. Not all stakeholders engage in the same way.

Main challenges:

• Legal and bureaucratic complexity to set up energy communities.
• Technical capacity. Many communities don’t have access to the technical skills needed to design, implement, or manage energy projects.
• Lack of state support in terms of funding, guidance, or incentives — local projects struggle to move forward.
• Project continuity. Projects often depend on a small number of individuals or specific political leadership.

The outcomes of this session, along with the experiences of the three ISLET pilot islands — Procida (Italy), Cres (Croatia), and Astypalea (Greece) — were presented on 28 May in Naples, during a conference held at the Green Med Expo & Symposium. The sessions were moderated by ISLET project partners Kostas Komninos, Director of DAFNI Network of Sustainable Greek Islands, and Diane Cassar from Malta Intelligent Energy Management Agency (MIEMA) .

The conference also marked the launch of the new Isole Sostenibili 2025 report, co-authored by researchers from the Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research of the National Research Council (CNR-IIA) and Legambiente, also partners of the project. The report shows that on Italy’s smaller islands, the ecological transition is progressing — but slowly. In 2025, the average sustainability index stands at 46.8%, just +1.3% compared to 2024. Among the top performers are the Island of San Pietro (62%), Capri (61%), Sant’Antioco (57%), and the Tremiti Islands (55%).

Solar PV is driving the transition, with a +116% increase in installed capacity between 2021 and 2023. However, significant issues remain, including water losses, insufficient wastewater treatment, and inadequate waste management.

“Italy’s smaller islands are treasures of biodiversity and culture, but also fragile territories exposed to climate change and the risk of depopulation. Since 2018, through the Sustainable Islands Observatory, we’ve worked to fill the gap in data and policy attention. These islands can become advanced laboratories for ecological transition — but only with a bold, concrete, and long-term national strategy tailored to their needs. The energy transition and the protection of natural heritage must be the pillars of a new development model.”
— Andrea Minutolo, Scientific Director of Legambiente

On 29 May, the ISLET team returned to Procida to meet with a representative of the local Energy Community, launched through ISLET’s pilot activities. Following a series of stakeholder workshops, the local community formalised its status as a cultural association, currently composed of 18 members, including the Municipality of Procida and a local business.

The community, now preparing for national registration as an official energy provider, is currently operating as a virtual energy community, where members benefit from shared renewable production.

At this stage, several challenges remain, including limited access to financing, regulatory barriers to using existing infrastructure, and concerns around demographic sustainability given the island’s ageing population. As the Procida REC navigates these issues, it serves as a model for other island communities working toward collective energy solutions under complex local constraints.

The LIFE ISLET project is rising to the challenge of enabling energy communities across Europe’s and the Mediterranean’s small islands, while tailoring solutions to the unique characteristics of these remarkable territories.

Beyond the technical progress, this week also offered the consortium partners the opportunity to reconnect, collaborate, and reinforce their shared sense of responsibility towards building a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient future for island communities.