The Energy Community Platform: One stop solution for everything about Community Energy

Energy communities are putting energy back in the hands of people and building a new energy system that works for all, but citizens need support to set up their community energy projects. Following the work done by Munster Technological University a few years ago, REScoop.eu teamed up with several EU projects to make things easier for people and gather tools and resources to help energy communities move forward in one place: the Energy Community Platform. 

This new website includes a maturity test, a collection of resources, a map of energy communities, and a network of experts.

A unique feature of the Energy Community Platform is a test that allows citizens to self-assess the development stage of their community energy project. It is a 21-question test based on a maturity scale developed by the Compile project. The result includes an explanation of the development stage of the community, and some indications to assess their strengths and weaknesses and suggestions to move forward. Moreover, the website offers a selection of resources based on the test results.

The broad collection of resources of the Energy Community Platform gathers dozens of resources in one single place. These resources, mostly developed by EU projects or energy communities, can be filtered by development stage, activity (production, supply, mobility, home renovations…), area (technical, legal, financial…), language or country.

A map on the platform features energy communities from all over Europe to inspire others and facilitate exchange and collaborations across borders. Energy communities can be contacted through a contact form (only accessible to registered users) and anybody can add its community energy project to give it visibility, inspire others and create connections.

Citizens in need of professional support can look for a community energy expert on the platform. They can search for the most suitable specialist by area of work (technical, legal, financial…), activities (production, district heating, energy saving, flexibility, collective purchasing…), language or keyword.

As the project SCCALE 20-30-50 aims at scaling up the community energy movement by developing a comprehensive toolkit for citizens, cities and policy makers around Europe, all of the project’s knowledge will be compiled on this Community Energy Platform among a larger network of resources that already exist. Browse the platform and keep an eye out in the upcoming months for SCCALE’s guidebooks:

• A Methodological Guide
• Two Financing Guides: for energy communities and for banks
• A Municipal Guide
• A Contractual Guide
• A Monitoring Tool
• Policy Recommendations

The platform started as part of the Interreg NWE ECCO project, where Munster Technological University (MTU) developed a prototype for an online platform where energy communities could interact, find experts, collaborate around projects, and track and share their progress. When the Interreg NWE ECCO project came to an end, REScoop.eu partnered up with the Interreg NWE ECCO project, COME RES project, Compile project and clothes retailer Patagonia to develop and maintain the version that has now been launched. 

Join  the Energy Community Platform!