Cooperative business models for energy communities

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The conference Energy Communities in the Rural World: Challenges, Opportunities and Realities. Training for Trainers and Decision-Makers, held on 23rd November at the Faculty of Economics and Business Studies of UVIGO, was organised by the Galician Wind Energy Observatory (OEGA).

The OEGA is a research, information, advice and consultancy tool for all people, companies and groups interested in wind energy in Galicia, born from the collaboration between the Isla Couto Foundation, the Juana de Vega Foundation, the Paideia Galiza Foundation, and the University of Vigo. This public-private alliance is essential to try to work together to involve rural communities in the energy transition processes.

This conference was part of the programme of activities of the EC4RURAL project, a LIFE project funded with 1.6 million euros, which started in September 2023. Led by the University of Vigo, it has ten partners from Spain, Estonia, and Belgium, who together will promote the transition to clean energy in European rural areas through Energy Communities in 34 municipalities (22 Galician and 12 Estonian) until August 2027.

The activity was attended by more than 70 people and groups from different areas such as local administrations, rural development groups, forest communities, small energy distributors, consumer associations, energy company professionals, etc.

Video available. Cooperative business models for energy communities

Jesús Sánchez-Ostiz, General Manager of Red de Comunidades Energéticas S. Coop. Navarra, introduced us to the network of communities by giving us some key data. He explained the success of Esparza, the first energy community in Navarre, and its evolution since 2019. He gave a schematic overview of the barriers and levers of energy communities, and ended by detailing his cooperative business model for his energy communities.

https://tv.uvigo.es/video/656eeee35d728f7c36251b16