Enabling Energy Communities to SHINE across Europe
Citizens at the heart of the clean energy transition
The need for a clean energy transition has never been stronger. To reduce the existential threat of climate change there is an urgent need to increase energy efficiency and enable a rapid shift away from fossil fuels.
According to the COP28 agreement, renewable energy production needs to triple and energy efficiency needs to double by 2030 to limit global warming to 1.5°C. With cities accounting for close to 80% of global energy consumption and 70% of global carbon emissions, empowering citizens and cities to form ground-breaking partnerships to accelerate the clean energy transition is crucial.
In Europe, there is huge potential to accelerate the clean energy transition while putting citizens at its heart. Integrating citizen participation is key to addressing the current issues; boosting energy democracy, triggering investment and reducing energy poverty, whilst supporting the ambitions set out in the EU’s Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy and Energy Performance of Buildings Directives.
Project activities
SHINE will empower LRAs to maximise community energy opportunities. It will support the Just Transition objectives by helping cities and citizens affected by the shift from fossil fuels to clean energy. SHINE will build capacity, provide tools, and trigger investment in clean energy and retrofitting, advancing energy-efficient, renewable, and climate-resilient economies.
Our concrete actions are
Optimising Europe’s One-Stop Shop (OSS) for Energy Communities: SHINE will review and enhance existing ENERCOM tools, integrating them into REScoop.eu’s Energy Community Platform to create a new, comprehensive portal for LRAs. These tools, including a community energy accreditation scheme for municipalities, a match-making tool, business models, and adaptable templates, will be translated and shared on four national OSSs tailored to local contexts.
Knowledge Exchange and Capacity Building: The project will foster collaboration between LRAs, communities, and experts through peer-to-peer exchange, training, and technical support. The establishment of Europe’s first international working group on community energy OSSs will ensure the sharing of best practices, improving the sustainability and scalability of community energy support services, and boosting the evidence base on their impact.
Implementation of Local Support Services: In each pilot area, LRAs will establish in-person OSSs to directly support community-led projects focusing on district heating, cooling, retrofitting, and renewable energy generation. These services will be designed with sustainability and local needs at their core.
Dissemination and Replication: The developed tools, services, and methodologies will be disseminated through a strong Ambassador network, emphasizing replicable, sustainable models, and embedding inclusion, gender, and energy equity.
