The European Commission introduced in December 2021 the concept of gas citizen energy communities in a legislation package aimed at decarbonising gas. This mirroring of the concept of citizen energy communities (CECs), originally from the Electricity Market Directive, in the Gas Directive has not been welcomed by REScoop.eu and other like-minded NGOs. We consider this proposal a complex, unnecessary idea that could backfire. A third energy community definition is not needed because the Renewable Energy Directive already supports the promotion of biomethane as an activity for renewable energy communities and the new concept could be perverted by market incumbents. And most importantly, it adds legal complexity to a transposition process that already has been slow and arduous.

Read our op-ed published on Euractiv →

Community energy is key to action on the climate crisis. It can empower people, boost local economies, and reinvigorate communities. Community-led initiatives play an important part in the transition towards a 100% renewable and just energy future. Success stories of community energy projects can be found all over Europe. At REScoop.eu we want to highlight these stories, in order to further accelerate the movement towards a cleaner and democratic system.

In March we explored how citizen energy cooperatives around Europe are setting up district heating networks in their communities, an affordable and sustainable way of heating buildings, through the example of Warmte Verzilverd in Belgium.

Read our last success story →
Have a community energy success story to share? Let us know →

Last month we welcomed six new members from five different countries to our network.

• Energía Bonita, an energy cooperative from La Palma, Spain.
• Collective Energy Cooperative, an energy cooperative from Athens, Greece.
• WEnCoop, an energy cooperative created by the Greek Association of Women Entrepreneurs.
• Netzwerk Energiewende Jetzt e.V., a German association that coaches energy cooperatives.
• Rising.eco, a Hungarian service provider that supports energy communities.
• Arteria Technologies, an Austrian company that develops software for energy communities.

Find out more about our new members  →

BRIDGE is a European platform that brings together all European funded projects on smart grids. REScoop.eu - for the COMPILE project - has been leading the BRIDGE working group on Consumer and Citizen Engagement since 2020. The group focused on the collaboration, understanding and management of consumer collective action as a tool to advance research and innovation at European level.

Over the past two years, although the group has identified several gaps in the concept of engagement in relation to private consumers, it has also seen a significant evolution in the way projects engage and empower consumers to take up an active role in those energy projects.

Find out more about the BRIDGE conclusions →

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 its official launch on Wednesday 20 April in Brussels.

Register here →