New report: Counting energy communities in the European Union
May 15 - 2024
Our project partner ABUD – Advanced Building & Urban Design created a fascinating database on the Member State level, presenting a ‘strong’ as well as ‘broad’ Energy Community concept, with requirements defined along six dimensions: activities, goals, degree of autonomy, legal forms, proximity and scale.
Some key takeaways:
- In France, at least 236 energy communities do not fit the REC/CEC definitions adopted from the EU directives
- Most new energy communities in eastern Europe do not meet the criteria for strong energy communities
- In Greece, there are nearly 15 times more broad than strong energy communities
- Each category of broad and strong energy community respond differently to national enabling frameworks
- Member states should adopt specialized enabling frameworks to ensure their expectations for energy communities are met
COUNTING ENERGY COMMUNITIES IN THE EUROPEAN UNION
Further information and the main results of the report can be found here: bit.ly/countingECs
See the other article
September 14 - 2026
New policy article
Fostering sustainability transformation through effective collaboration among stakeholders” explores how collaboration among stakeholders can support sustainability transformation, and what factors enable or hinder effective collaboration and collective action.
July 22 - 2026
The Energy Transition Game empowers kids for a sustainable future – Workshops by BOKU & Austrian ECs schools
The "Energy Transition Game" transformed the elementary school in Ligist, Styria, into a renewable energy hotspot through workshops developed by BOKU University as part of Energy4all, focusing on knowledge transfer, raising awareness and community building among children, teachers and parents.
March 11 - 2026
The Human Cost of Net-Zero: Analyzing Stavanger’s Hillevåg PED Project
Stavanger’s Hillevåg Positive Energy District aims to produce a surplus of renewable energy while supporting climate-neutral urban living. However, the project also reveals socio-economic tensions between ambitious sustainability goals and local concerns about preservation and community impacts.
February 20 - 2026
Key takeaways from the ENERGY4ALL consortium meeting in Rome
This year's consortium meeting in Rome was designed around participatory methodologies, including co-creation and gamification exercises, fostering an interactive and collaborative environment that encouraged collective reflection and forward-looking planning.
January 23 - 2026
Resource Analysis and Conceptual Planning of Co-Designed Interventions: Mid-Term Insights from Energy4All
The report offers a twofold contribution: a KPI-based evaluation framework and insights from the first co-design workshop held at Kazán on 23 April 2025.
January 23 - 2026
Transition Arenas — Systems Mapping Report
This report provides a structured, comparative analysis of how energy communities and related energy-sharing initiatives operate as complex systems shaped by interactions between social actors, technical infrastructures, economic incentives, and institutional frameworks.
Share on