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Preparation

The focus of this stage is the preparation of the community’s project.
It includes the formation of a leadership team, the establishment of specific objectives to achieve the community’s vision, and the planning of specific actions to achieve the objectives (anticipating the effort required and expected outcomes/benefits). It is also the time to explore different options for technologies and for a business plan, research funding options for your project, and start reaching out to the wider community to get feedback and start soft recruitment for your project once established.

Found 71 helpful resource(s).
Light bulb
Europe

Energy solidarity – Our transition for all Europeans starts with the most vulnerable

A web page featuring examples of energy communities fighting energy poverty around Europe. The examples can inspire other energy communities thinking of developing energy solidarity actions.

  • Inspiration
  • Preparation
  • Technical
Group of people discusses a budget
Europe

Report on REScoop business models

This report assesses and compares existing models of energy cooperatives to provide proven organisational schemes to develop citizen-based projects in the field of renewable energy.

  • Inspiration
  • Preparation
  • Implementation
  • Financial
Hotmaps capture
Europe

Hotmaps

Open source mapping and planning tool for heating and cooling.

  • Inspiration
  • Preparation
  • Technical
Europe

Heating cost calculator

This calculator created by Heizomat allows the user to estimate the total heating costs with a variety of sources.

  • Preparation
  • Community
  • Financial
Drawing of the concept of a cVPP
Europe

Crash course 1: What is a cVPP?

This crash course explains the concept of a community-based Virtual Power Plant (cVPP), it discusses the building blocks of a VPP, what makes a cVPP community-based, and it elaborates on the relevance of cVPPs.

  • Inspiration
  • Preparation
  • Technical
Change energy production
Europe

Crash course 2: History of our energy system

This crash course starts describing the traditional energy system, next it discusses how the increase in renewable energy challenges the incumbent organisation of the energy system, and finalises analysing the potential opportunities that current changes could provide to energy communities.

  • Inspiration
  • Preparation
  • Technical
Renewable energy
Europe

Crash course 3: EU energy policy

This crash course describes the changes in EU energy policies introduced by the Clean Energy Package (in 2019) that are relevant for energy communities and for community-based Virtual Power Plants (cVPPs). Moreover, you can find an explanation of the definitions of renewable energy communities and citizen energy communities.

  • Inspiration
  • Preparation
  • Political & legal
Flexibility graph
Europe

Crash course 4: Energy flexibility

This crash course explains what flexibility is, why it is increasingly important and how energy communities can benefit from providing flexibility.

  • Inspiration
  • Preparation
  • Technical
Energy market roles
Europe

Crash course 5: Energy market roles

This crash course discusses the diverse roles in the current and future electricity market and explains which roles can potentially be adopted by energy communities.

  • Inspiration
  • Preparation
  • Political & legal
  • Technical
Community
Europe

Crash course 6: Community engagement in practice

This crash course offers support to participants in developing an approach to engage the broader community. It gives background information on community engagement, but it is not a tool for developing a community engagement strategy.

  • Inspiration
  • Preparation
  • Community
Energy markets
Europe

Crash course 7: Community participation in the European electricity markets

This crash course guides energy communities through the current European electricity markets with the aim to inform them on how these markets are organised and which markets could be relevant for their community activities. Seven markets are described in detail.

  • Inspiration
  • Preparation
  • Financial
  • Political & legal
  • Technical
Energy Management System
Europe

Crash course 8: Energy Management Systems for energy communities

This crash course elaborates on the technological core of a community-based virtual power plant: the smart Energy Management System (EMS). It offers information about the technological architecture of EMS’s and tips on how to successfully implement an EMS.

  • Inspiration
  • Preparation
  • Implementation
  • Technical

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