The project is dedicated to supporting regional authorities in their role as facilitators of energy communities by establishing One Stop Shops (OSS), so to foster the creation of energy communities in their territories.

ECOEMPOWER's core concept is to empower regional authorities as energy community facilitators by establishing a One Stop Shop (OSS). The OSS serves as a comprehensive hub, both physically and virtually, offering citizens and stakeholders a range of integrated services and digital tools. These resources encompass not only technological support but also encompass economic, financial, legal, organizational, communicational, and educational aspects.

Energy communities will be central to the EU Green Deal strategy. They have the potential to help reducing greenhouse gas emissions noticeably and quickly , as half of all European Union citizens could be producing their own electricity by 2050, meeting 45% of the EU’s energy demand (Delft, CE Delft, September 2016). Energy communities require stronger local actions and citizen owned initiatives. 

The ECOEMPOWER project funded by the EU Life program shall promote and support the establishment of regional One Stop Shops for energy communities. The OSS will be developed and tested with the active participation of 5 regional authorities-in Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece and Italy. Within those regional authorities, there will be active involvement of 15 Pilots, each of them corresponding to one local energy community project according to the Definition of Renewable or Citizen Energy Communities (RECs / CECs). Pilots have been chosen to represent various stages of development of the energy communities and associated needs.

The role of FBK

Fondazione Bruno Kessler - through its Center for Sustainable Energy - is in charge of the coordination of the project and of the monitoring system that evaluates the impact of the project activities on the pilot cases.

The Consortium

Fundamental for the project is the interdisciplinary consortium of 10 partners coordinated by Fondazione Bruno Kessler, through the Centre for Sustainable Energy. 

3 research centers and academic bodies:
Fondazione Bruno Kessler (Italy) | Università degli Studi di Trento (Italy) | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Energie Environnement (France)

5 public bodies / association:
Provincia Autonoma di Trento (Italy) | Association Centrales Villageoises (France) | Energie-& Umweltzentrum Allgäu (Germany) | Pražské společenství obnovitelné energie (Czech Republic) | PERIFEREIA STEREAS ELLADAS/Region of Central Greece (Greece)

2 renowned industrial partners:
BAUM consult (Germany) | UBITECH Energy (Belgium)

Project website: https://ecoempower.eu/

Social media: LinkedIn

Press release: https://magazine.fbk.eu/en/news/life-ecoempower-project/

More information:

Project Acronym     | ECOEMPOWER

Project Name | ECOsystems EMPOWERing at regional and   local scale supporting energy communities

Funding programme | LIFE 2027

Call | LIFE-2022-CET

Topic | LIFE-2022-CET-ENERCOM

Project Coordinator | Cinzia Morisco (FBK)

Starting date | September 1st 2023

Ending date         | August 31st 2026

Duration | 36 months

Project ID | 101120775