The energy transition is driving the electricity and thermal sector to adapt quickly to the EU’s ambitious decarbonisation and climate neutrality targets for 2050: expansion of renewable energies, electrification of demand, reduction of primary consumption, refurbishment of buildings, etc. In this context, the role of citizens is key, as they can promote a participatory and decentralised energy model as transformative entities, capable of directly creating and generating ideas and projects in their environment. Precisely for this reason, the figure of energy communities is so relevant, as it unites citizens, with all those public administrations, SMEs and local organisations, which seek to make this climate transformation objective a reality.
To facilitate this new figure, the European COMANAGE project has developed a digital toolbox that offers support to people who want to promote and manage energy communities. The set is called the “Energy Communities Governance Toolkit” or ECGT and provides a series of guides, templates, fact sheets, infographics and other useful documents, divided into five categories: technical, financial, social, legal and communicative.
This includes technical documentation, such as a self-consumption application guide; financial tools for assessing economic viability using the ECBM model and the VALERI methodology; and a collection of legal templates, such as bylaws, regulations, and land transfer contracts. You’ll also find social resources to foster inclusive participation and combat energy poverty, as well as editable communication materials for use in project dissemination and participant recruitment.
Its creation and composition have been part of a process of identifying barriers and challenges of energy community projects during its preliminary phase. The result is a comprehensive and synergistic framework that addresses the initial obstacles that addresses lack of information, decision-making and provides comprehensive support to new energy communities to collaborate effectively and stay active in the long term.
The COMANAGE project has received funding from the European Union (EU) LIFE Programme and involved three pilot projects in Europe: the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB), the Krakow Metropolitan Association (KMA), and the National Association of Italian Municipalities of Lazio (ANCI LAZIO). From Ecoserveis, we have coordinated the European Project and give support to AMB, as technical partner.
The toolkit has been tested in AMB municipalities, through “La Teulada,” a face-to-face information point where any user is supported on issues related to Energy Communities and individual or shared self-consumption. Through these interactions, the COMANAGE tools have been refined, detecting a clear need for documentary support for Energy Communities due to the current lack of a legislative framework in Spain.
On the other hand, the project also offers a digital E-learning platform, with Energy Communities course, free, multilingual and self-paced, to introduce the subject in a didactic way and reinforce essential knowledge. In addition, the course modules cover technical tools, financial mechanisms, social participation skills, legal support and effective dissemination methods.
Both the ECGT toolkit and the COMANAGE Energy Communities course are available online on the COMANAGE Open Platform. That is, a website that integrates all the digital resources developed in the project and guarantees uninterrupted access for interested parties.
