Under the Cretan sun: LIFE LOOP meeting uplifts collective determination

“He saw the cities of many people and he learnt their ways.“ tells poet Homer about Ulysses and his long journey. This sounds familiar to the LIFE LOOP team: on the footsteps of the Greek hero, project partners met in October on the island of Crete to share energy community practices of many cities and learn from the many people involved.

Hosted by Minoan Energy, a pioneering community on the island, pilots and expert partners came together to update and forecast city-citizen actions on renewable energy and retrofit.
Representatives from some of the pilot sites namely in Greece, Romania, Croatia, Cyprus, and Italy gathered to discuss their achievements, the challenges they face, and their strategic roadmaps aimed at fostering local energy ownership.

The meeting highlighted each area’s strides toward LIFE LOOP’s ambitious goals of setting up energy communities that involve municipalities and citizens to promote renewable energy, reduce carbon emissions and increase resilience at the local level. The primary focus was on collaboration, exchanging best practices, and action plans for implementing the planned community energy solutions before the project end in September 2025.

Here is a summary of key updates from some of the LIFELOOP pilots:

🇬🇷 Minoan Pilot (Crete, Greece):

• Targets include achieving 800 MWh in energy savings, 1.3 GWh in new energy generation, and establishing five new citizen-led initiatives.
• Actions: A community-owned photovoltaic (PV) plant with a 1 MW capacity was installed thanks to LIFE LOOP, expected to power 201 households. Additionally, new licenses for PV stations are planned, and a One Stop Shop (OSS) has been set up to support citizen engagement and partnerships.
• Challenges include ensuring adequate promotion and ongoing support through municipal collaboration

🇷🇴 Bistrita Municipality (Romania):

• Focuses on integrating energy communities into local plans, working with citizens to retrofit apartment buildings and using public rooftops for renewable energy.
• Planned initiatives include public awareness campaigns, pilot solar projects, and workshops on sustainable transportation.
• Challenges include legislative barriers, limited financial incentives, and low public interest in forming energy communities.

🇭🇷 City of Zagreb (Croatia):

• Goals include a 40% CO2 reduction by 2030 and the establishment of energy communities, with 50 MW of solar capacity targeted for installation by 2025.
• The OSS in Zagreb streamlines green energy resources, legal guidance, and is exploring financing options like green bonds to encourage citizen participation.
• Key hurdles are complex administrative processes and regulatory rigidity.

🇨🇾 Cyprus:

• Through active involvement of Cypriot municipalities, the pilot targets five energy communities, energy-saving initiatives, and enhanced citizen involvement through Energy Cafés.
• An OSS is being explored in major cities, while rooftop mapping and PV installation discussions are ongoing.
• Barriers include regulatory issues, grid limitations, and challenges in setting up energy communities.

🇮🇹 Vilanovaforu and Usaramanna in Sardinia (Italy):

• Focuses on energy efficiency improvements, new citizen-led projects, and promoting sustainable mobility.
• A clear commitment on the spot: the Mayor of Usaramanna Marco Sideri and Vice-Mayor of Vilanovaforu both signed the charter of the community energy accreditation scheme
• Challenges include costly street lighting, limited public transport, and the need for digital infrastructure.
• Collaborations with local businesses and the University of Cagliari are under consideration to develop technical skills and support energy projects.

This meeting was the valuable opportunity to discuss the energy communities concept with people coming from different geographical, social and cultural contexts – to be “forced” to find answers to questions you never thought about, to learn to see things from different angles.

Sara Gollesi, Enostra

“There is a land called Crete, in the midst of the wine-dark sea, a fair, rich land, begirt with water, and therein are many men, past counting, and ninety cities.” writes Homer. And, indeed, meeting on this Greek island was very meaningful as it bursts with committed inhabitants and leaders who are eager to spread community energy. The study visit to the Arkocholori solar power plant was a hands-on experience of this. At a leisure visit to the archaelogocial site of Knossos the team learnt that the Minoans were the most advanced European civilization and had running water and sewage systems. 3500 years later, Minoan Energy is a similarly pioneering community: they want to transform the energy system in Crete and are now the largest community in Greece (with 1300 members)!

Overall, the LIFE LOOP meeting underscored the collective determination to make community-led renewable energy a reality. With OSS facilities, educational campaigns, and innovative financing models taking center stage, project partners left Crete with a renewed enthusiasm to bring local authorities and local stakeholders together for lasting renewable partnerships – in Crete and anywhere else.