The Energy Communities Repository is an initiative on behalf of the European Commission to assist local actors (including citizens, local authorities, and businesses) with setting up and advancing clean energy projects driven by energy communities in urban areas across Europe. The initiative contributes to a just transition to climate neutrality that allows citizens to take ownership of energy consumption and production.
The Repository will provide technical support to energy communities whose activities are primarily in urban areas. For rural communities, a second initiative, the Rural Energy Communities Advisory HubSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN•••, will be providing tailored technical assistance. The two programmes will be working closely together and an internal transfer of energy communities is feasible upon agreement depending on expressed needs.
Who is it for?
Citizens and civil society, energy communities, public authorities and governments, policymakers, local businesses… Every player with an interest in contributing to the development of energy communities across Europe!
What does it offer?
In practice, the Energy Communities Repository provides three main types of services:
Data collection & Analysis
The Repository aims to increase awareness, understanding, and engagementaround the topic of energy communities. To this end, it will analyze existing national legislations, including enabling and supporting frameworks, for energy communities and provide guidance to the Member States, regulators, EU policymakers, and financing institutions based on identified best practices. To showcase existing energy communities and track the development of new communities, the Repository will further build a database of energy communities, and carry out an impact assessment of the energy communities mapped.
Technical Assistance
The Energy Communities Repository will provide direct technical assistance, online twinning, and peer-learning activities, as well as capacity-building webinars and workshops.
The initiative will provide support to at least 150 energy communitiesin setting up their groups, advancing their projects, and developing financing concepts, and will train national expertsto support the development of national one-stop shops and encourage replication.
Best practices and Toolbox
Through a dedicated website, the Energy Communities Repository will share best practices, guidance materials, a policy analysis database, a map of energy communities, a Helpdesk, etc.
Energy communities are one of the key elements for achieving the EU’s energy transition: By 2050, half of Europe’s citizens could be producing up to half of the EU’s renewable energy. This is why the European Commission is launching the Energy Communities Repository – an initiative that will support energy communities through technical assistance and training, provide policy analysis and insights for policy-makers, regulators and financial institutions, and more. All interested stakeholders from the energy sector – energy communities and beyond – are welcome to the official launch of the Energy Communities Repository next 20 April in Brussels.
In order to inspire future energy communities, a study visit to the energy community project will be organised in Leuven (Belgium) on the same day of the event launch, in collaboration with the EU Horizon2020 project SCCALE20-30-50. Places to the study visit are limited – if you would like to join it, please contact ENER-EC-REPOSITORY@ec.europa.eu.
The recording of this event is available at DG ENERGY’s YouTube channel. For social media: #EUenergycommunities
