LIFE-BECKON: Boosting Energy Communities Massive Deployment

LIFE-BECKON stimulates and boosts the deployment of Energy Communities across Europe by developing and delivering comprehensive support mechanisms for public authorities, promoters and Local Action Groups.

The support mechanisms include:

• a Technical Assistance cookbook to enable the creation of Technical Assistance Offices;
• a Capacity Building programme via a Train the Trainer approach to increase stakeholder knowledge;
• integrated services via One-Stop-Shop platform to facilitate access to information, tools and guides as well as matchmaking among actors along the value chain.

The support mechanisms will be validated in 3 supramunicipal areas in Ávila (ES), Sofia (BG) and Copenhagen (DK) covering a wide range of conditions, cultural aspects and market maturities.

The consortium includes 8 partners from 7 European countries covering the needed expertise (e.g., technical, legal, financial, regulatory, participatory process, capacity building, dissemination and replication), committed to launch and validate these solutions in relevant geographical areas and ensuring access to a relevant network of potential partners and replicators. 

Focus on Ávila

As a partner of LIFE BECKON, The Provincial Energy Agency of Ávila (APEA) has informed representatives and technicians of their municipalities about Energy Communities and the benefits of becoming prosumers during a Life Beckon meeting organised on February 13th. The meeting was attended by more than 80 municipalities.

The Energy Agency aims to develop the project especially in rural areas and very small municipalities, where there is a lack of infrastructures for energy. In these municipalities, APEA aims to provide a guarantee of low prices of energy production and empower the development of sustainable energy through the Beckon project.

Among the actions planned by the provincial institution are the creation of a Technical Assistance Office which will advice all municipalities who want to build their own energy community. The Provincial Council has allocated an amount of 218,000 euros for its creation.

We are going to start with the nearest and closest group, which are the town halls, but the idea is to promote these energy communities through the communities of neighbors and companies, which can take advantage of renewable energies to carry out their activity

Luisa Marín, director of the Ávila Provincial Energy Agency (APEA)

Are you setting up an energy community? Get involved in LIFE BECKON

The LIFE BECKON project has developed a survey to assess your training needs for setting up and deploying Energy Communities and Living Labs in Europe. This will allow to develop an effective capacity-building programme, tailored to your needs.

More information

• https://www.diputacionavila.es/asuntos-europeos/proyectos-europeos-activos/life-beckon.html
• https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/life/publicWebsite/project/details/101076765
• https://www.r2msolution.es/proyectos-tecnologicos/