The Municipality of Bellpuig, 5500 inhabitants in Catalonia, proposed the creation of an energy community. In two years, the citizens transformed this idea in a reality, funding an energy cooperative to produce green electricity from public and private roofs, as well to finance a shared EV.
Energy Communities
Mitigation
Energy Poverty
In Bellpuig, small rural village in Catalonia of 5.500 inhabitants, the Department of Ecosocial Transition of the Municipality presented the idea of having an energy cooperative in 2021.
Two years later, the idea transformed in reality, and now the citizen energy cooperative " Energies Compartides de Bellpuig i Seana" (ECOBS) produces more than 490 MWh of green electricity per year, and has a shared electric vehicle with a public electric vehicle charger.
From a municipal input to a citizen appropriation
Once the project was presented to the community, several people decided to join it, transforming it in a project of self-management and citizen self-organisation. The community drafted a project for the installation of photovoltaic panels to provide local businesses and the people of Bellpuig with green photovoltaic energy produced in the municipality, a cooperative shared mobility electric vehicle service, and a public electric vehicle charger.
The community presented the project to a Next Generation funds call to be able to access public aid and subsidies to launch the project. They obtained public aid to finance 172.465 € of the 343.729 € of total cost, while the rest came from the contributions of the cooperative members and financing from the public bank of the government of the Generalitat of Catalonia "Institut Català de Finances" ICF. ECOBS was the first energy community in Catalonia for which ICF provided a loan.
After this step, the Municipality offered the cession of public roofs to install part of the photovoltaic panels in exchange to receive a part of the power generated on the city council roofs. Additionally, the Municipality provided the energy community with a space on the public street to install a public electric car charger and a garage to store the shared mobility electric vehicle.
Lastly, the municipality facilitated the creation of the cooperative by giving its space to organise meetings and providing the whole coordination of the project.
Challenges
Being a pioneer of energy community in Catalonia, ECOBS faced several challenges, which brought many lessons learnt. Firstly, network connectivity was a problem. Indeed, a lack of national strategy for the development of a national privately-owned and large projects -oriented grid makes it difficult for small renewable projects to emerge. This is evident when public or private roofs with optimal solar exposition cannot be exploited with solar rooftop systems because of lack of connection to the grid.
Secondly, the overly rigid Spanish legislation regarding the maximum distance between the energy generation point and consumption point in shared self-consumption installations is too small. Currently is only about 2 km that, in rural areas, is not sufficient and do not take into consideration the lower density population.
In order to foster the creation and expansion of rural energy communities, a modification of the distribution radius to take into account population density is necessary.
Lessons learnt and replication potential
Overall, the project showed how strong citizen engagement and municipal support can produce relevant results, and opened a path for replication for rural energy communities in Spain and all Europe.
Indeed, when the Municipality take the lead to coordinate local business and an organised and empowered citizenship, an exemplary model of local and self-managed energy community can emerge.
Bellpuig, Spain
Energy Community in Focus
Energies Compartides de Bellpuig i Seana
Active since: 2023
Stage of implementation: Active Energy Community
Key Energy Figures
- Total capacity installed: 351 kW
Type of support from the Municipality
- Facilitation: access to meeting room
- Support: access to public roofs/land, and administrative support
Covenant Figures
- Signatory to the Covenant of Mayors since: 2012
- Emission reduction ambitions:
% GHG emissions reductions by 2030: - 49%
Related link
Funding the project
343.729 €, of which:
- 172.465 € through the CE-Implementa 2023 programme of the IDAE (Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving), of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, with funding from the RRF.
- The rest though contributions of the cooperative members and financing from the Catalonian public bank ICF.
Contact
Jordi Estiarte Berenguer, Mayor of Bellpuig: jestiarte@bellpuig.cat