Citizens and local authorities: converging views on local renewable energy projects?

At the beginning of the year and in the context of the LIFE LOOP project, REScoop.eu issued a survey to better understand the barriers and opportunities on the collaboration between citizen energy cooperatives and local municipalities. The survey targeted people involved in energy cooperatives or communities as well as local municipalities. Today, as a result, a report has been published, identifying the existing diverse capital of energy communities and presenting the current barriers and opportunities for the collaborative development of energy communities with municipal involvement. 

Key takeaways for city-citizen partnerships

• A local detailed assessment of the reasons that may discourage municipalities from collaborating with citizens in community energy projects and vice versa should be conducted.
• Awareness-raising is still very much needed, along with the creation of networks and platforms to share experiences and build evidence about the benefits of energy communities with municipal involvement and support.
• Targeted training and capacity building are needed for local municipalities to participate in energy communities, including softer skills around communication, trust, and relationship building, and more technical ones related to financial and legal issues.
• Specific policies and concrete incentives are needed for municipalities, both at the national and European level, to support the development of energy communities with collaboration between local authorities and citizens’ initiatives.
• Member States should recognize the role of energy communities and include funds in national and regional budgets that can be used by regional and local authorities to safeguard municipal involvement and support for energy communities.
• Monitoring the progress in removing unjustified barriers to the development of energy communities with city-citizen participation is imperative.

Some preliminary recommendations are provided to local authorities that wish to get involved in energy communities and to citizen-driven energy initiatives that wish to collaborate with their local municipalities.

To flourish energy communities need to build partnerships and engage a variety of local stakeholders. Yet, the survey respondents think that the benefits of energy communities are not equally recognised by the main potential partners of citizen-driven initiatives, that is, local authorities, NGOs and SMEs.

As we strive for a decentralised, democratic, and renewable energy future, it’s becoming increasingly clear that citizen initiatives and local municipalities face unique challenges and opportunities. Our analysis reveals that by working together to develop and operate energy communities, they can leverage their respective strengths to overcome obstacles and achieve their shared goal of local ownership of power.
Through collaboration, citizen initiatives and local municipalities can tap into their complementarity, lifting each other up when needed. By coming together, they can harness the power of local ownership and make significant strides towards a more sustainable future.

Background

The transition  to clean and sustainable energy sources must happen in a democratic and socially just way. This includes efforts and investments in local renewable energy projects made by local citizens in collaboration with municipalities and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Fostering this cooperation is the mission of the LIFE LOOP project.

Community energy projects are an effective way to promote local resilience and participation in collective decision-making processes. When citizens and municipalities work together, they have access to a broad range of resources, including capital, networks, and skills. Moreover, municipalities can mobilize local communities in various ways, access public funds, and develop supportive policies and strategies.
However, despite the growing popularity of the concept of energy communities across Europe, many cities, especially in Southeast and landlocked countries in Central Europe, still struggle to move from ideas to action. Many local municipalities have committed to energy or climate goals, but reaching them can be challenging.

The post Citizens and local authorities: converging views on local renewable energy projects? appeared first on Energy Cities.

Fuente: ENERGY CITIES
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