What is encom hub?
ENCOM HUB focuses on developing a HUB framework to support the establishment of Energy Communities (ECs) thus contributing to the implementation of the clean energy transition and to sustainable development goals. The project will therefore support the shift from ‘climate change awareness’ to ‘society mobilization‘ and ‘inclusive climate action implementation’ by creating environment and energy awareness among citizens, SMEs and public bodies especially in small towns and in urban and rural areas located
in the countryside. ‘EC HUB’ is intended here as a
coordinated under
regional energy agencies dedicated to support local communities in EC initiatives through integrated and complementary services (i.e. information/awareness raising/training; participatory process management; techno-economic EC feasibility analysis; legai, administrative, and financial assistance).
PROJECT DURATION: January 2024 – December 2026
Objectives
- consolidate a methodology of
by engaging different actors having
the technical, legal, entrepreneurial, and financial expertise needed to support ECs projects; the aim is to design and validate EC supporting services and develop a sustainable business model for the Hubs;
- promote awareness and update the competency among citizens, professional, business and public managers regarding the ECs, with the activation of at least 22 pilots in 3 countries during the project lifetime and 183 in 4 countries in the 5 years beyond;
- develop and consolidate new skills and roles fostering collaboration between citizens, private sector, public, and third sector organizations;
- address regulatory barriers to the creation of ECs, delivering policy recommendations on permanent roundtables with policy makers and other stakeholder representatives involved in the EC field at national, regional, and local level;
- develop Territorial Transfer Plans of the services and best practices defined during the project avouring the adoption and scale-up of the EC Hub’s model and services in other areas or in other countries and release a toolkit and a handbook validated in the pilots’ implementation.
Key impact
The EC initiatives should involve around 2,080 citizens by the end of the project, and reach around 18,400 five years later. Concerning energy production and energy savings, ENC0M HUB should bring 2.74 GWh/year of primary energy savings by its end, and up to 13.03 GWh/year five years later.
On the other hand, in terms of final energy savings triggered by the project, the partnership foresees 2.35 GWh/year by its end, and 11.30 GWh/year five years later. Moreover, the renewable energy generation triggered by the project should reach 8.564 GWh/year by its end, and 39.051 GWh/year five years later.
PROJECT TEAM
The Partership benefits from the presence of energy and development agencies involved in the consortium as technical partners with experience and expertise in ECs, while other Partners will contributing to the activities with complementary capacities: one the one hand, a specific expertise and consolidate experience concerning the technical, legal, and economic aspects of ECs; on the other, thanks to representatives of the cooperative movements and association of cooperatives, capacities and experience focused on stakeholder engagement and cooperative economic models.
PILOT REGIONS
ENCOM HUB will promote participatory processes for the activation of potential members of energy communities and provide technical and legal assistance to set up/improve energy community initiatives and will implement 22 pilots of energy communities in 3 different countries in small towns, countryside, and mountain areas. The pilots will benefit of the services and expertises developed by the Hubs.
Project methodology
WP1:
Project management
WP2:
Design and validation of replicable integrate services model
- designing a common ‘EC HUB’ framework and the EC supporting services and HUBs’ operative tools/ operational organization/business development pian
- defining Territorial Transfer Plans to favor the adoption and scale-up of the EC Hub’s model and services to other territories
WP3:
Technical assistance to the implementation of ENC0M HUBS
- establishment of the ENC0M HUBs in ES, FR, and IT by providing the designed supporting services and testing them through the support to pilot energy communities
WP4:
ldentifying and addressing regulatory barriers through specific recommendations addressed to policy makers
- identify and evaluate the barriers to energy community development that can emerge from the interaction of regulations and the technical, organizational, financial, and social aspects and dynamics of the energy communities
- define recommendations for policy makers, which will be addressed through stakeholder engagement activities/permanent roundtables with policymakers, local/regional authorities, stakeholders such as entrepreneurial/financial institutions.
WP5:
Sustainability, replication and exploitation of project results
- secure the after-project sustainability of the ENC0M HUB project’s results, and their replication and exploitability, including experimental phase in BG
- Organization of Territorial Energy Community Stakeholders Forums dedicate to knowledged exchange
- define the plans for the replication and up-scaling of the service and hub models in the 3-year period after the project end and for the transfer in other territorial contexts as well as scenarios for adopting energy communities in BG.
WP6:
Communication and dissemination
- Energy Communities Days- events in each country directed to promote the renewable energy communities among target stakeholders, especially citizens and the larger civic communities
- Final lnternational Event