In recent years, many projects related to the implementation of energy communities have emerged in the territory. Communities that demonstrate that this type of innovative projects have a place in our country and that promote energy sovereignty towards a transition in the hands of citizens.
They are what some have already called “real utopias”. And, while it is true that most of these innovative initiatives leave behind a model considered by many to be obsolete; many still need to include a more inclusive perspective. We talk about it with Raquel Rodríguez, Camila Canelas and Paco Jofra, technicians of the European project.
Energy communities are a reality throughout Europe and, specifically in Catalonia, they represent an impetus for changing the current model . However, although many are designed not to repeat patterns of the previous energy model (centralized, fossil, with oligopoly features), most initiatives still falter in including groups that may be in a situation of vulnerability . Households that, unfortunately, rarely have access to initiatives to create energy communities or access shared self-consumption proposals. Families that, today, are left out of the energy transition and the revolution that energy communities are implying throughout the European territory and, especially, Catalonia.
Energy communities and energy poverty
For this reason, a change of perspective is needed that puts people at the center . According to 2022 data from Eurostat, 9.3% of European families cannot maintain an adequate temperature in their home in winter. And from 2021 to 2022, the figure has increased from 6.9% to 9.3%, mainly due to the energy crisis caused by gas shortages due to the war in Ukraine.
Thus, it is clear that the energy transition cannot be designed only for a part of the citizenry , and this is where initiatives such as Sun4All come into play, a European project born when energy communities were not yet a reality, funded by H2020, coordinated by the Ecoserveis Association and led by the Barcelona Energy Agency in its pilot deployment in the city of Barcelona that seeks to guarantee that vulnerable households have access to renewable energy, helping to cover their energy needs. All while promoting access to affordable energy, job creation, citizen empowerment in relation to their energy rights and improving public health.
Sun4All, a project to integrate the two concepts
Raquel Rodríguez, project technician at the Ecoserveis Association, briefly defines it: “Initiatives are needed that go further, because we usually have energy transition projects but, many times, these do not think about families, what they need and how they may find themselves in situations of vulnerability”, she explains. “In short, Sun4All has opened the door to working on issues of community energy and vulnerability . Whenever we hear about energy transition, this second concept is missing, and it cannot be ignored from now on. Energy communities cannot ignore vulnerability”, adds Paco Jofra, also an energy technician.
Thus, Sun4All has been working to promote shared self-consumption in homes with vulnerable families . And, although the process has not been easy (mainly due to the obstacles imposed by the distributor and large marketers), the truth is that the project closes with a great involvement of the families that have been part of it, and a very positive overall assessment, as Jofra explains: “There are many interesting things, but one of the most remarkable is that, despite being a project that has required a high degree of support (due to the obstacles that the families encountered), it has been very gratifying to see how they have been empowered throughout the process. They have learned more about their energy rights, they have understood many new concepts and they have faced oligopoly!” And the project has shown that one of the main challenges comes from institutional and regulatory limitations . The underdeveloped regulatory frameworks, the lack of communication channels between energy sector actors and the lengthy licensing processes have proven to be a brake on the project’s potential. “Similar projects need to be promoted that confront the bad practices of the energy oligopoly; the regulations are clear and in force since 2019, and delays or abusive practices must be sanctioned”, explains Jofra. Difficulties aside, one of the great successes has been the community created as a result of the project: “The team we have worked with has been incredible – explains Camila Canelas, project manager – and there was a very strong sense of unity. Some did not pull more than others, the teamwork has been real, and this has allowed us to reach families in a very special and unique way. A community has been created “, she concludes.
In fact, one of the project’s objectives has been more than met, which was to empower citizens who, at first, might not have been interested in the discourses related to the energy transition. And the truth is that the 113 families who have participated in the project have known from the beginning that it was a pilot test, showing themselves flexible with the problems that may have arisen and learning about a topic, that of shared self-consumption, that they had not previously dealt with.
Balance sheet of a successful project
Once the project is finished, it is time to take stock. For Raquel Rodríguez, one of the great successes has been being able to replicate the New York model in Europe. “We have made a lot of noise”, she explains. “Other initiatives have since appeared, but being in the spotlight in this sense has been very interesting”. For Paco Jofra, one of the successes is the type of message and communication that has been established with families: “Communication has always been through clear and understandable messages, something that is often lacking from the public administration . We have avoided confusing messages and have focused a lot on building, maintaining and nurturing this bond of trust. Because it must be recognized that the current oligopoly has been one of the great barriers to the success of the project, and if we had not empowered families, it would not have been possible to do so. This has also been one of the keys to the success of S4A”.
Exporting the model and the future
“It is important that, now that it has started, the wheel does not stop”, reiterates Canelas. That there is replicability. “And, for those who want to start promoting a similar project, I would recommend a lot of patience”, he adds. “It is not easy to break with certain established frameworks, but little by little, with a lot of confidence and patience, the foundations are laid and important steps are taken, however small they may seem at first. For our part, we know that the future involves remembering what we have done and working to keep the project alive”.
In fact, it is a benchmark project in terms of the innovation it has entailed , and in terms of the large number of connections that the project’s partner entities have established. Connections at a local, regional and transnational level that have allowed for an interesting exchange of knowledge but have also meant the creation of networks of key actors. Networks to maintain, conserve and promote : “We started at the municipal level, in Barcelona, but now it’s time to go a step further and create community with the citizens, and thus delve deeper into what families really need”, details Rodríguez. “We have laid the first stone but the next ones that come must be even more community-based. The administration provides the resources and opens many doors, but if we reach more users, the beneficiaries, the results would have even more impact”, he states.
More information about Sun4All .
