Energy communities, their potential and how to boost citizen engagement
About the Event
Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) are citizen-led legal entities such as associations, cooperatives or small enterprises that produce, manage and consume electricity from local renewable sources. By enabling citizens, municipalities, SMEs and other local actors to jointly own and benefit from energy infrastructure, RECs play a key role in accelerating the energy transition while strengthening local economies.
The three LIFE-funded projects, POWER-E-COM, DISCOVER and ISLET, co-funded by the European Union, address the on the ground development of RECs across Europe.
POWER-E-COM fosters cooperation between regional and local authorities and citizens to develop RECs across six European countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Ireland, Slovenia and Spain. It works with regions at different stages of the energy transition to design and implement adaptable REC models, while providing training, mentoring and practical tools to help stakeholders set up and scale community energy projects.
DISCOVER supports the development of Community Energy Projects by providing integrated support services to project initiators. It works with pilot regions in Italy, France, Croatia, Bulgaria and Austria to establish local One Stop Shops offering guidance on technical, financial, legal and organisational aspects, helping communities launch and implement energy projects across their full lifecycle.
ISLET supports collaboration between public authorities, private investors and citizens in order to develop RECs on small Mediterranean islands. It involves pilot and test islands in Greece, Italy, Croatia and Malta to design and validate REC models that can be applied across other Mediterranean islands.
Bringing together practitioners, policymakers and citizens interested in the development of RECs across Europe, this event marks the final conference of the three LIFE-funded projects. Participants will explore the main barriers to creating energy communities and how to overcome them, gain insights into key technical aspects of the process, and learn from concrete best practices implemented in different national and regional contexts.
The event will be held in a hybrid format. It will take place in person at Comet Meetings Louise in Brussels, with the option to join online. The event is part of the European Sustainable Energy Week, offering an excellent opportunity to kick off the week with peer exchange and engaging discussions. Participants attending in person will also be invited to a networking cocktail with speakers and fellow attendees.
Agenda
Welcome participants and introduction – FEDARENE | 15:00
Keynote speech: Setting the scene on energy communities: what they are and why their importance is increasing – Vinicius Valente, CINEA | 15:15
POWER-E-COM: Chances, Challenges & Changes: Energy communities on the rise!? – Ingo Ball, WIP | 15:30
ISLET: Learnings on community building for renewable energy communities – Alexis Chatzimpiros, Samsø Energiakademi | 15:45
DISCOVER: The cost of success: When the growth of energy communities creates new challenges – Helmut Herglotz, Pixel Energy Solutions | 16:00
POWER-E-COM: Business models for European energy communities –
Francisco Puente / Álvaro Moral, ESCAN | 16:15
ISLET: Experiences from renewable energy communities on islands – Élodie Bossio, FEDARENE | 16:30
DISCOVER: Building trust in energy communities: the role of transparency and governance – Damir Medved, Without Borders | 16:45
Q&A. FEDARENE | 17:00
Wrap-up & Conclusions – FEDARENE | 17:20
Networking Cocktail: A refreshment will be served to the in-person attendees on Comet Meeting’s floor 0. | 18:00 – 19:30
