Clean Energy from the Ground Up: Energy Communities in the European Union

The report examines Energy Communities (ECs) in the EU, highlighting their role in democratising energy and achieving climate goals. It distinguishes between Citizen Energy Communities (CECs) and Renewable Energy Communities (RECs), noting that as of 2022, over 9,000 ECs were operational in the EU. The document details the climate, economic, and social benefits of these models, such as reduced energy poverty and increased grid resilience. Through case studies of Germany, Denmark, Latvia, and Greece, it illustrates how national legislation and financial incentives—like feed-in tariffs and grants—drive adoption. The report concludes that while the EU is a leader in these models, non-EU nations should consider similar legal recognitions to support a just energy transition.

• The European Union officially established the framework for Energy Communities in 2019 through the Clean Energy for all Europeans Package (CEP), which introduced two distinct but non-exclusive models: Citizen Energy Communities (CECs) under the Internal Electricity Market Directive and Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) under the Renewable Energy Directive.
• Energy communities are proliferating across the EU, with the European Commission reporting more than 9,000 operational communities in 2022. A separate study of citizen-led initiatives from 2000-2021 estimated approximately 10,500 initiatives across 30 European countries, involving 2 million citizens and resulting in 7.2-9.9 gigawatts of installed renewable energy, with solar photovoltaic (PV) making up over 80% of the dataset.
• Energy communities provide multifaceted benefits, including decarbonization through increased clean electricity production, economic relief by addressing energy poverty and lowering utility bills, and enhanced energy security by reducing reliance on foreign energy sources and creating more resilient, decentralized grids.

APA

Williams, A. (2024). Clean Energy from the Ground Up: Energy Communities in the European Union. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/resource/clean-energy-ground-up-energy-communities-european-union/

Chicago

Williams, Annabel. Clean Energy from the Ground Up: Energy Communities in the European Union. Clean Air Task Force, 2024. https://www.catf.us/resource/clean-energy-ground-up-energy-communities-european-union/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Williams |first1=Annabel |title=Clean Energy from the Ground Up: Energy Communities in the European Union |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=18 March 2024 |url=https://www.catf.us/resource/clean-energy-ground-up-energy-communities-european-union/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{williams2024clean, author = {Williams, Annabel}, title = {{Clean Energy from the Ground Up: Energy Communities in the European Union}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2024}, month = mar, url = {https://www.catf.us/resource/clean-energy-ground-up-energy-communities-european-union/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }