ECOsystems EMPOWERing at regional and local scale supporting energy communities

Introduction

The main idea of ECOEMPOWER is to support regional authorities in their role of energy community facilitators through the creation of a One Stop Shop (OSS).

OSS Overview

1. Physical and Virtual Space: It is a physical and virtual place where citizens and stakeholders can receive information and assistance through a set of integrated services and digital tools for the setup of energy communities. This includes not only technological support but also:

   • Economic
   • Financial
   • Legal
   • Organizational
   • Communicational
   • Educational

2. Raising Awareness: It aims at raising citizens’ awareness about the potentials and benefits of collective energy initiatives.

Support Phases

Emergence/Pre-Development Phases

During these phases, the OSS assists citizens and stakeholders involved in the energy communities by:

• Analyzing the underlying motivations and expectations
• Establishing the project’s technical, legal, economic, and social feasibility and viability
• Providing information about funding opportunities

Creation/Operation Phases

In these phases, the OSS provides assistance by:

• Implementing a detailed business model
• Supporting capacity building
• Guaranteeing multi-sectoral assistance

Networking and Aggregation

The OSS will serve as a networking point between:

• Energy communities (including co-learning opportunities)
• Public authorities (from the municipal up to the regional scale)
• Technology and financial providers (e.g. RES manufacturers and installers, energy aggregators, ESCOs, DSOs)

Additionally, it may act as an aggregator of small sustainable energy projects.

Project Implementation

ECOEMPOWER’s activities will be developed and tested with the active participation of 5 regional authorities, leading to the creation of:

• 5 regional OSSs
• 15 local energy communities

Partnership and Support

ECOEMPOWER brings together 10 high-profile partners from 6 European countries (IT, FR, DE, CZ, GR, BE), forming a balanced team of complementary institutions, including:

• 5 public bodies/associations
• 3 research centres
• 2 private companies

Finally, an additional 45 key stakeholders in the 15 pilot sites have already provided Letters of Support.