How can I start an Energy Community?

Pre-requisites

Provide details about their energy consumption patterns and generation pattern (if any) to facilitate planning and optimization
Willingness to invest or contribute financially towards the energy project, either through direct investment, membership fees, or participation in collective funding schemes
Commitment to participate in community meetings, decision-making processes, and other community activities
Readiness to integrate renewable energy systems into their buildings

Testimonies

Name: Manager

Energy Community: Hyllegaard Høje Energifællesskab

Role in the Energy Community: "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.

Name: Manager

Energy Community: Halkidiki Pilot

Role in the Energy Community: 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.

Name: Manager

Energy Community: Cascais Pilot

Role in the Energy Community: 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.

Useful links to know more about: