"Hyllegaard Udvikling" operates "Hyllegaard Høje storbofællesskab" in the development stage and it is "Hyllegaard Høje Udvikling" that has set the framework for the future community. The framework for "Hyllegaard Høje Storfællesskab" is descripted in the design manual and here you can read that all buildings shall be heated by the common heat supply, which is a thermogrid combined with decentralized heat pumps, all homes shall receive solar power, etc.

Establishing our local community has been a constructive process. Many of our clients appreciate having access to real-time information about their energy use, as it helps them better understand their daily consumption habits and learn how to save energy. This awareness has encouraged more mindful use of electricity during the day and shown that spending less energy means not only saving money, but also helping the environment.

The process of creating the energy community in Cascais, EMAC, as a municipal company of the Municipality of Cascais, has been an exercise in innovation and persistence. This is a challenging path, which requires meticulous coordination between technical, legal and organisational aspects, in a constantly evolving regulatory context.

It became clear early on that creating an energy community is considerably more complex than implementing a collective self-consumption model. In collective self-consumption, energy is shared among a group of users connected to the same facility, benefiting from a clearer legal framework and relatively simple administrative processes.

The energy community, on the other hand, requires a more comprehensive structure, capable of integrating different public and private entities and citizens and ensuring the active participation of all. The complexity of the legal framework, still under development, explains the absence of formally constituted energy communities in Portugal, including the municipality of Cascais.

Despite the difficulties faced, EMAC and the Municipality of Cascais reaffirm their commitment to move forward in a responsible and innovative manner, contributing to the creation of knowledge and paving the way for future local energy communities that are more sustainable and participatory.

The attempt to create an energy community in Croatia has encountered numerous legislative, technical, and financial hurdles. The lack of precision and clarity in definitions and legal provisions has caused significant problems. Firstly, the exact process for registering an energy community is not clearly defined, and attempts are almost completely blocked by the commercial court. Secondly, technical solutions for energy sharing are still nonexistent at the DSO level. Lastly, the financial requirements for new connection points and the registration process, which would require substantial external expert assistance and could take up to a year, combined with the costs of PV power plant installation and certification, make the venture highly financially unsound.

For Enercoop, the transition from a historic energy cooperative to the first fully operational energy community in Spain became both a major challenge and a strong source of motivation. Since 2018, when we began planning our first collective self-consumption PV installation, the regulatory and administrative landscape was still unclear, requiring significant coordination efforts with all stakeholders. Once the first installation was commissioned and the main barriers were identified, our focus shifted to expanding the renewable capacity available to members through additional collective self-consumption systems and small PV plants. Ultimately, the most meaningful achievements have been the reduction of members’ energy bills, the strengthening of community cohesion, and the enhanced self-sufficiency and efficiency of our local energy system.

The second energy community of Grunneger Power has recently launched in Selwerd, with the ambition to turn the neighborhood into a true “solar district.” In a solar district, as much energy as possible is generated locally with solar power and shared among residents. To make this work, it’s essential to understand when and how much electricity is produced and used. That’s why Energy Community Selwerd-West has started with energy monitoring, using a dongle in the meter cabinet and a smart platform for real-time insights. Anyone in the neighborhood can join—no solar panels or home ownership required. Together, residents generate and share clean energy, keeping control in their own hands.

The creation of an energy community in Primiero was born out of a strong spirit of cooperation between local businesses and organizations. Sitting down together to define its rules, functioning, and objectives was an intense process, involving continuous discussion and shared decisions. The technical and bureaucratic aspects required commitment and coordination, but they also reinforced the awareness that we were building something that went beyond individual plants: a collective project to make the area more resilient and independent. What motivated the group most was the desire to create an open community, capable of involving others over time and conveying the idea that energy can be a common good, not just a resource to be managed individually.