Developing a transnational governance and holistic integrated services framework supporting the sustainability of European energy communities

Introduction

Over the past years, several projects boosting energy communities have seen the light around the EU. The launch and implementation of these initiatives, carried out - among others - by projects in which the members of the COMANAGE partnership participate, has made it evident that once started, energy communities’ projects often struggle to take off.

Project Origin

The COMANAGE proposal originates from this experience, with the aim of tackling and counteracting the main governance and management barriers faced by citizen-led and public-participated energy communities’ projects. These barriers include:

• Legal hurdles
• Administrative hurdles
• Financial hurdles
• Social hurdles
• Organizational hurdles

Methodological Approach

The project will address these challenges by creating a methodological and operational Energy Communities Governance Framework. It will equip public authorities involved in energy communities’ projects with a set of integrated services, supporting mechanisms, and tools aimed at facilitating the management and governance of energy communities and other forms of citizen-led energy initiatives.

Goals

The final goal of the project will be twofold:

1. To ensure that energy communities’ projects that have already been set up can take off and grow in the medium and long term.
2. To encourage and stimulate the uptake of new community-owned energy projects.

Implementation Strategy

With this goal in mind, the project will:

• Operationalize a transnational network of knowledge and competence providers.
• Mobilize, engage, and operationalize key stakeholders around three Operative Integrated Services Hubs.

These hubs will be established in three Pilot Cases across the EU, represented in the consortium by:

• The Metropolitan Area of Barcelona in Spain (AMB)
• The Krakow Metropolis Association in Poland (KMA)
• The Lazio National Association of Italian municipalities in Italy (ANCI LAZIO)