COOP-ERATION IS KEY PROJECT. UNLOCKING THE POWER OF COMMUNITY ENERGY
| Programme | Erasmus+, R1, 2025, Small-scale partnerships in VET |
| Duration | From 01/11/2025 to 31/01/2027 |
| Reference number | 2025-1-EL01-KA210-VET-000362950 |
| Partners |
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PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The “Coop-eration is Key” project aims to provide energy professionals, experts, and even stakeholders who want to engage in an energy cooperative with all the necessary tools, skills, and knowledge to create and sustain an energy cooperative.
The project uses a variety of methods to achieve its objectives such as capacity building, expert talks, and on-site learning which ensure that participants will effectively understand the content of the project, actively take part in it, and render the project a success.
OBJECTIVES
a) Bridging the skills gap that exists in the energy sector labor market and VET training
b) Raising awareness and knowledge about energy cooperatives through project dissemination
c) Addressing gaps in existing information and support for energy cooperatives
d) Encouraging participation and community ownership of energy resources
e) Offering a holistic approach from creation to sustainable development of energy cooperatives
MAIN RESULTS
The expected results of the project include:
- One extensive and comprehensive educational training directed at all energy cooperative stakeholders. The training will address legal, financial, technical, and organizational aspects of energy cooperatives. It will also analyze financial tools and grants that can assist in funding an energy cooperative, good examples of already established energy cooperatives, and all the material that will arise from this and other activities (focus group results, etc.)
- A series of focus groups which will include experts and professional stakeholders to map potential gaps in current knowledge regarding energy cooperatives, discuss the level of awareness regarding energy cooperatives, and recognize potential content that should be included in the handbook.
- An on-site visit to WEnCoop energy cooperative for hands-on learning about energy cooperatives, a pilot test of the developed material, and facilitation of necessary refinements.
PROJECT IMPACT
I. 20 vocational schools and educators (10 vocational schools per partner) that would like to be able to train energy cooperative administrators in the future
II. 30 Energy cooperative members and stakeholders ( 15 people per partner) who would like to broaden their knowledge of energy cooperatives, learn best practices from other cooperatives, and effectively contribute to the shaping of the training by providing their insights
III. 10 Community leaders, energy and environmental activists (5 leaders and experts per partner) who would like to be educated on the matter of energy cooperatives
IV. 10 Policymakers (5 policymakers per partner) who would like to learn how to support the creation of energy cooperatives, make the process easier, and reduce bureaucracy
V. At least 10 Environmental organizations that can provide knowledge and expertise on the matter, or increase their scope
VI. 10 energy regulatory bodies (5 regulatory bodies per partner) who wish to simplify procedures for the creation of energy cooperation and assist applicants
VII. The minimum of 50 women, in order to also get a gender-specific perspective on the matter
VIII. No less than 50 broader individuals who would like to learn about energy cooperatives, create or participate in one
IX. At the minimum 50 citizens of areas where access to energy sources is limited or comes with a high cost
ENERGY COMMUNITIES (EC)
The European Union introduced the concept of energy communities in its legislation for the first time, notably as citizen energy communities and renewable energy communities:
- Renewable energy communities, article 22 of Renewable Energy Directive (EU) 2018/2001. REC is a legal entity involved in renewable energy production, which provides environmental, economic or social community benefits for its shareholders or members or for the local areas where it operates, rather than financial profits.
- A Citizen Energy Community (CEC) is a voluntary legal not-for-profit entity established at a local level for the purpose of energy “generation,… distribution, supply, consumption, aggregation, storage”, etc. (according to the article 16 of EU Directive 2019_944, on common rules for the internal market for electricity).
Within the Spanish legal framework (RDL 23/2020, of June 23), Renewable Energy Communities are defined as “legal entities based on opened and voluntary participation, autonomous and effectively controlled by their partners or members that are located in the vicinity of the renewable energy projects that are owned by these legal entities and that they have developed, whose partners or members are natural persons, SMEs or local authorities, including municipalities and whose primary purpose is to provide environmental, economic or social benefits to their partners or members in the local areas where they operate, rather than financial gains.”
Energy communities allow citizens to collectively produce, consume, store, share and sell renewable energy. According to the Spanish government, “their main purpose is to provide environmental, economic and social benefits to their members and the environment in which they carry out their activities, rather than financial profitability.”
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
