Reflecting on progress: advancing Energy Communities through collaboration and innovation

A note from our Project Coordinator Alberto Belda González: 

Projects working around Energy Communities typically resemble a bumpy road rather than a smooth highway, fraught with challenges and tricky barriers. This is especially evident from ambitious and innovative projects like LocalRES, aimed at demonstrating complex solutions in real-world environments. It is always rewarding to pause for a second along our journey, take a breath, look back, and reflect on our achievements thus far before resuming our diligent efforts.

This is exactly what the project Consortium had the chance to do during last November, when our latest project meeting took place in Brussels. This gathering provided an invaluable opportunity to assess the most recent progress, learn from advancements, define next steps and harvest valuable insights based on real-world experiences during a dedicated session with pilot teams. 

Noteworthy was the participation of the mayors of Berchidda and Kökar, continuing the LocalRES initiative’s commitment to actively involve our pilot municipalities. This engagement enables them to share their sustainability strategies and receive support in overcoming encountered barriers, following in the footsteps of previous occasions where the mayors from Ispaster and Ollersdorf participated.

Particularly enlightening was the session with other projects on energy communities (ACCEPT, CLUE, LIGHTNESS, RENergetic, SCCALE 20 30 50), which highlighted common challenges and the importance of collaboration to inspire each other and advance together. Similarly, the meeting with our Innovation Advisory Board provided invaluable inputs, enriching our perspectives and strategies.

This diversity of perspectives enhances our collective understanding and strengthens our approach. Furthermore, it is always refreshing encountering stakeholders who share a similar vision and recognize that, even if they are not the panacea, energy communities can be key actors in the energy transition. 

Let’s continue our efforts and look forward to reconvening soon!