Siena's project to tackle energy poverty through an energy community

Siena, an Italian municipality of around 50.000 inhabitants known for its amazing landscape and its historical architectural patrimony, is showing how long and deeply rooted history can combine with climate and energy transition. Through a partnership with several institutional local actors and active citizen involvement, Siena wants to set up an energy community to reduce its carbon emissions while tackling energy poverty.

The Municipality as promoter of synergies between local actors

As part of the Covenant of Mayors, the Municipality of Siena wrote its Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan, setting the direction of its climate and energy strategy. 

As one of the Actions, Siena decided to create an energy community. It started by mapping suitable public spaces and establishing a technical working group with the University of Siena and other institutional partners to ensure a stable, non-profit governance.

Its mapping work brought to the identification of 36 suitable public sites to install rooftop solar systems, for a total capacity of 3.8 MWp. Moreover, the Municipality launched a consultation on the Statute to formalise its legal status, connect with parnters and involve the population.

As a result, the Municipality decided to go for a public-led non-profit foundation, as it was the most suitable legal status for their energy community. Indeed this model allow founding members (Municipality, University, Province, Foundation MPS) to maintain strategic guidance while ensuring an "open door" policy for all community members. It also signed an agreement with another, citizen-led energy community active in the surroundings, Sienaenergie. Finally, the necessary funding was secured thanks to the contribution of both the municipal budget and institutional partners, such as the Fondazione MPS, a local bank. 

The economic benefits of the energy community, a part from supporting vulnerable families and low/income households, will be used for the creation of a "Green District," local job creation in the green economy, and enhancement of the "Siena Carbon Neutral" territorial brand.

Challenges

While the energy community is almost ready to go, the challenges the Municipality faced were not secondary.

First of all, due to its historical and protected patrimony, the Municipality faced strict landscape and planning constraints, forcing it to not plan anything in the historic centre, thus reducing the total installed capacity.

Additionally, while the Italian legislation is quite advanced for the EU standards, legal uncertainty and regulatory complexity make it difficult for municipalities to join or create energy communities. This is mostly due to complexity in public involvement.

Lessons learnt

However, the challenges did not stop the Municipality, which learned several important lessons that are valid for similar initiatives in Italy. Firstly, for this type of energy community, the Participatory Foundation felt as the safest model to protect both the members and the governance.

Secondly, in areas with strict landscape protection, for architectural or natural reasons, the use of degraded extra-urban areas, as well as the synergies with local actors, are essential to overcome architectural limits, maximise social benefits and tackle energy poverty.

Siena, Italy

CER Siena

Stage of implementation: Waiting for the official registration

Key Energy Figures

• Total capacity installed: 3.8 MWp over four roofs
• Annual energy production: 4800 MWh
• Ratio Consumption/Production: 65%
• - X% reduction in average in bills: 25% (estimated) 

Type of support from the Municipality

• Direct involvement: promoter of the energy community

Covenant Figures

• Signatory to the Covenant of Mayors since: 2015
• Emission reduction ambitions: 
  % GHG emissions reductions by 2030: finalising SECAP