About the Pilot
Coopérnico is a renewable energy cooperative, the only one operating at a national level with several regional groups. Founded in 2013, Coopérnico has more than 4,250 members and its energy retail service has more than 3,500 customers. Coopérnico has invested around €2 million in decentralised solar PV, mostly in the social sector. Coopérnico’s members have shown interest in setting up citizens’ initiatives at local level for the collective self-consumption of electricity generated by PV panels, which is provided for in Portuguese law under the Renewable Energy Communities scheme from 2022.
Coopérnico has identified 6 citizen-led initiatives (Renewable Energy Communities, RECs that need support to implement collective self-consumption through PV and building renovation. This support includes:
- Technical dimensioning of energy systems and renovation solutions;
- Legal support to formally set up the REC and internal regulations; and
- Communication support to attract new members to the REC and promote awareness and visibility
of the initiative, to inspire citizen-led renovation in Portugal.
Factsheet
Portugal offers subsidies and grants to support energy efficiency measures and renewable energy installations. In August 2023, the Portuguese government allocated €30 million for citizen-led renovation and renewable energy production at the domestic level. This funding is expected to increase and will be available until summer 2024. As part of the CLR service, Coopérnico will support the identified RECs to apply for the renovation grants in order to scale up the investments made during the pilot period.
Our support
To support such energy communities, the Citizen-led renovation (CLR) initiative offers a comprehensive suite of services. From project management, ecosystem building, and business plan drafting to the technical design and community communication and engagement strategies, Coopérnico receives a holistic support.
Objectives under the CLR initiative
Coopérnico aims to extend its support to other energy communities and become a focal point for CLR. The final expected outcomes of the support service are that Coopérnico has established a One Stop Shop (OSS) for CLR in Portugal and has supported energy renovations in 5 communities.
Activities under the CLR initiative
- Workshop on project management, 13.10.2023
- In-person meeting on setting up OSS workshop with Energent, 19.01.2024
- Workshops on business planning – how to set up a revenue stream; partnership launch – identifying and activating partner installers; financing projects – developing a financing solution option for energy communities, 01-03.2024
- Coopérnico is granted the SmarTA project, to start in October 2024 (3 year project) to set up an OSS for Citizen-led renovation and the social sector, focused on PV for self-consumption and building renovation, 03.2024
- Support to energy communities, including:
In community Alvito: Strong request from a group of citizens, supported by the Municipality of Alvito and the Professional School located in the council, to set up a REC. We will test this as a chance to onboard this new initiative as a first client of the One-Stop-Shop. - In community Estação: Meetings on support to formally set up community.
- Support to energy communities, including:
- Panel discussion at the European Sustainable Energy Week, 12.06.24
More Information
- Location
Lisbon (with regional groups)
- Legal Form
Cooperative
- Established in year
2013
- Members
4353
- Activities
- Investment opportunities in renewable energy projects
- Energy credits (in return for investments)
- Community engagement
- Education and awareness
- Project support: development, financing, implementation
- Access to green energy (electricity commercialisation)
- Support and counselling for energy vulnerable families
- Future aims/ Perspectives
- Establish a One-Stop-Shop for citizen-led renovation.
- Define a scalable model for supporting the implementation of Renewable Energy Communities in Portugal, starting with collective self-consumption of PV.