Citizen and cooperative renewable energies in Occitanie

Citizen and Cooperative Renewable Energy is one of the responses to strengthen the ownership of projects by citizens and communities, to involve them in the energy transition, and to optimise the economic benefits for the territory.

The Occitanie Regional Energy and Climate Agency (AREC Occitanie) is actively supporting the development of EnRCC in the region through several activities. In 2019, they carried out a regional study which demonstrated the economic impact of local and citizen renewable energy projects. 39 supported projects are going to generate €66 million in local economic benefits for the Occitanie Region (over the average 20 year operating period).

The study demonstrated the considerable leverage effect of public aids: for each euro of public subsidy invested, €50 of economic benefits are generated for the territory. The study also highlighted the societal impacts generated by citizen projects. The inhabitants, local authorities and local actors who invest in these initiatives are the decision-makers who will implement them. They decide how to distribute the economic benefits. As a result, 100% of the profits generated remain in the territory, mainly to finance other local projects and to a lesser extent to remunerate those who have invested.

AREC Occitanie also moderates a collaborative internet platform that lists initiatives, provides tools, and facilitates feedback. At the same time, they manage a network of project leaders to facilitate the emergence of new initiatives and increase the skills of stakeholders.

In 2023, two new regional schemes were launched by the region which are managed by AREC. The first is the CoTOITurage platform. It connects owners wishing to equip their roof with photovoltaic installations with project leaders active in local governance. A few months later 40 roofs were already available.

The second is a new regional funding tool. This tool aims, by taking a financial stake, to build renewable energy production projects carried out by citizens and/or local authorities. The tool concerns projects with a size lower than 500 KW and 100% supported by citizens and/or local authorities. In November 2023, several project leaders showed interest in the tool.

In December 2023, 65 installations have been supported, mobilising 5,300 citizen shareholders.

This best practice is extracted from our publication ‘Sustainable Regions in Action‘. Discover more best practices here!