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The island of Ventotene has established a renewable energy community to combat rising energy costs and foster local autonomy. Initiated during the pandemic by a PhD student and supported by the local government, the project aims to transform residents from consumers into 'prosumers' who own and share local energy production. The community emphasizes a redistributive model where businesses with high solar capacity, such as hotels, can support individuals and small businesses. Despite its success as a 'laboratory for innovation,' the project faced delays due to Italian legislative instability and technical grid connection issues. The case highlights a broader Italian context where 38 communities are recognized and 65 are planned, supported by EU funding via the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, though Italy remains behind some European neighbors in implementation speed.

The STARRS pilot project, initiated by Climate Group and Climate TRACE, demonstrates how satellite imagery and artificial intelligence can provide timely, granular greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data for subnational governments. By tracking six pilot regions—Abruzzo (Italy), Basque Country (Spain), Jalisco (Mexico), Querétaro (Mexico), Pernambuco (Brazil), and Western Cape (South Africa)—the project addressed common barriers to emissions accounting, such as high costs and long timeframes associated with traditional bottom-up methods. The project provided historical data from 2015 to 2021 across sectors including electricity, heavy industry, and road transport, while also mapping biomass changes. Findings for the pilot regions highlighted specific emission drivers, such as the dominance of the Bilbao Refinery in the Basque Country's oil and gas sector and the significant impact of feedlots in Jalisco and Western Cape.