Since the beginning of the project, the European Energy Communities Facility has aimed to be a blueprint for other community energy funding programmes. To facilitate this process, we will publish a report detailing the methodology of our granting scheme and our views on how to successfully replicate it. In the meantime, we are delighted to see that the Facility is already paving the way for a new funding scheme in Portugal.
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation has launched a call to support 10 community energy projects that empower citizens to play an active role in the energy transition in Portugal. Selected applicants will receive a grant of up to €30,000 to develop their energy community. The grant can be used to purchase and install renewable energy generation equipment, or to cover administrative costs or licensing procedures. Applications are open until 16 September, and eligible initiatives must be in an early stage of development – applicants must not have any licence applications currently pending or already approved, nor must they be receiving support from other funding bodies.
The call has been developed by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in partnership with Coopernico, the Portuguese national expert of the Facility. This Portuguese energy cooperative will also contribute to the organisation of a two-week bootcamp with the 20 best applications to provide them with theoretical and practical training on how to develop a viability plan for their project.
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s initiative is a response to the lack of dedicated public funding for energy communities in Portugal, demonstrating the relevance of the Facility at a European level. Prior to launching the programme, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and REScoop.eu, the project coordinator, engaged in some conversations about the needs of energy communities and the work of the European Energy Communities Facility.
The potential of community energy to drive Europe’s energy transition is huge. By 2050, at least half of all EU citizens could be producing their own renewable electricity, meeting 45% of the EU’s total electricity demand. These initiatives also create economic value for the local territory and can shield costumers from volatile fossil fuel prices during energy crises. However, citizens usually face several obstacles when setting up an energy community, being financing in the early stages one of biggest ones. This is the gap that the European Energy Communities Facility, co-funded through the LIFE Clean Energy Transition sub-programme, aims to fill.
We hope that national and regional governments will find inspiration in the work we are doing to launch their own financing programmes. Citizens are ready to take the energy transition into their own hands. They just need the right support, including funding schemes designed for the early stages of energy communities.