A local energy community for energy equality in the Gironès: outcomes from Sun4All Community of Practice


26 September 2024


A local energy community for energy equality in the Gironès: outcomes from Sun4All Community of Practice

In Salt, a city with significant energy poverty despite its small size and low income per capita, the Sun4All project aimed to establish a new model of a local energy community. This model sought to integrate both private and public sectors into energy production and consumption, managed by a local energy enterprise. The community aimed to benefit from self-consumption of energy and selling surplus energy, requiring a detailed roadmap for implementation.

Key steps included identifying stakeholders already engaged in energy transition, developing a communication plan to engage additional stakeholders, conducting energy balance studies for rooftops planned for solar panels, and creating an economic plan to manage costs and subsidies for vulnerable households.

Several crucial lessons were learned from the participation of the Consell Comarcal del Gironès to Sun4All Community of Practice. Firstly, although the legal model proposed for the energy community was not finalised, the completed work allowed to identify future steps necessary for its development. These steps include prioritising the voices of vulnerable communities and addressing the structural causes of energy poverty, rather than solely providing energy assistance.

Additionally, the outcomes highlighted the importance of combining energy actions with targeted communication campaigns to maximise impact. It emphasised the need for transparency, collaboration, and commitment from both public and private actors in driving the project forward.

To replicate this experience in other areas, it is recommended to establish intermediate goals within large-scale projects. This approach ensures that short-term achievements contribute effectively to long-term objectives, particularly in tackling energy poverty. Moreover, fostering comprehensive stakeholder engagement and transparent communication strategies are crucial for success.



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European Union

This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement N°101032239.