Category: Uncategorized

New Report Available: Flemish Policy Dialogue on Socially Inclusive Energy Communities!

How can energy communities be fair, inclusive, and accessible to all? This question was at the heart of the Flemish Policy Dialogue, one of a series of policy discussions organized within the TANDEMS project to explore how local and regional policies can support a just energy transition.

These policy dialogues serve as strategic platforms where policymakers, energy cooperatives, social organizations, and technical experts come together to exchange insights, co-develop solutions, and bridge the gap between policy and practice. They are an essential part of TANDEMS’ broader mission: to create scalable and replicable models for energy communities that leave no one behind.

The newly published report provides key takeaways from the Flemish dialogue, offering practical policy recommendations for fostering inclusive collective energy initiatives. It explores how solidarity can be the driving force in community-building and presents a framework to ensure that energy communities are not only financially sustainable but also accessible to vulnerable households.

5 Key Takeaways from the Report

  1. Energy as a Right, Not a Privilege. The report emphasizes a rights-based approach to energy access. This means that access to affordable, high-quality, and energy-efficient housing should be treated as a fundamental right rather than a market-based privilege. Instead of viewing energy as just another commodity, policymakers should design frameworks where every citizen—especially those in vulnerable situations—has a fair opportunity to participate in and benefit from the energy transition.
  2. Targeted Support for Energy-Vulnerable Households. Energy vulnerability varies—some households struggle to pay their bills, while others may not have the means to invest in solar panels or energy-efficient upgrades. The report proposes a proportionate universalism approach: while everyone should have access to energy initiatives, additional support should be provided to those facing the greatest barriers.
  3. Municipalities as Key Facilitators. Local governments are uniquely positioned to initiate and support community energy initiatives. They own data on vulnerable households, have direct contact with local communities, and can bridge the gap between policymakers and citizens. Municipalities can play multiple roles, including facilitators, investors, and policy shapers.
  4. Education & Awareness. Many people want to participate in the energy transition but don’t know how. The report stresses the importance of energy education, integrated into local community activities. Examples include workshops and information sessions for residents, education programs in schools to raise awareness from an early age, newcomer programs in communities to ensure immigrants and low-income families understand their options, and practical guidance for businesses and community organizations.
  5. Stronger Partnerships. No single organization can solve energy poverty or build a fully inclusive energy community alone. The report highlights the need for strong partnerships between municipalities, energy cooperatives, poverty organizations, social housing providers, technical experts, and citizen groups. By working together, these stakeholders can integrate social and energy goals, ensuring that projects benefit the whole community.

Energy transition should be inclusive and community-driven. Download the report and take action yourself!

Download the report (.pdf)

Empowering Local Leaders: How Burenwerf is Pioneering Change in Energy Communities

Local leadership can be the driving force behind meaningful change, especially in the journey toward sustainable energy. At Burenwerf, we’re seeing firsthand how empowering community leaders and embracing adaptability are key to achieving energy transition goals.

In the world of energy communities, success is often measured by how well a project can mobilize local talent and adapt to the unexpected. The Burenwerf initiative recently held a reflexive learning session that shined a spotlight on these very principles. By focusing on community-led initiatives and the power of local leaders, they discovered strategies that can ignite a ripple effect of change across entire neighborhoods.

The Power of Local Leadership

One of the standout insights from Burenwerf’s session was the undeniable impact of local leadership. In this community, leaders aren’t just participants—they’re catalysts who inspire their neighbors and spark grassroots movements that drive the energy transition.

“Local leaders have a unique ability to mobilize their communities because they understand the pulse of the people,” said a project team member at Burenwerf. Empowering these individuals with the right skills and resources was a game-changer, creating a multiplier effect where one leader’s actions could inspire many others to join the cause.

By focusing on training and equipping these leaders, Burenwerf has turned them into ambassadors of change, capable of guiding their communities toward sustainable energy solutions. This approach is not just about knowledge transfer—it’s about building a network of inspired individuals who can take ownership of the energy transition.

Flexibility: The Secret Ingredient to Success

As Burenwerf has learned, adaptability is just as important as leadership. The energy landscape is constantly evolving, and a rigid plan can often be a project’s downfall. Instead, Burenwerf’s approach has been to stay agile, ready to pivot and respond to challenges as they arise.

“Flexibility in our planning allows us to course-correct in real time, ensuring we don’t lose momentum even when faced with unexpected obstacles,” explained a member of the Burenwerf team. This mindset has allowed the community to maintain its forward momentum, despite the inevitable bumps along the way.

By being open to new ideas and continuously refining their strategies based on real-time feedback, Burenwerf has built a model that’s both resilient and adaptable. This ability to adjust on the fly has proven to be a crucial factor in keeping the community’s energy goals on track.

Next Steps: Training and Continuous Support for Leaders

Looking ahead, Burenwerf plans to double down on its investment in local leadership. The focus will be on ongoing training and support, ensuring that these leaders have the tools and confidence they need to guide their communities effectively. By doing so, Burenwerf aims to create a blueprint that other energy communities can follow—one that is rooted in grassroots leadership and built on a foundation of adaptability.

The ultimate goal is to empower these leaders to not just follow the energy transition but to lead it, inspiring others and expanding the impact of their initiatives beyond their own communities.

Conclusion: Building Resilient Energy Communities Through Leadership and Adaptability

The lessons from Burenwerf highlight the transformative power of local leaders in driving the energy transition. By fostering an environment that encourages adaptability and resilience, energy communities can navigate obstacles with confidence and continue making strides toward sustainability.

Building Trust in Vulnerable Communities: Insights from Otterbeek’s Energy Initiative

How do you foster energy-sharing in a community where trust is scarce and skepticism runs high? In Our work in Otterbeek highlights the challenges of fostering energy-sharing in a diverse neighborhood. From building trust to addressing cultural sensitivities, we’re diving into what it takes to engage every resident in the energy transition., the journey to build an inclusive energy community revealed some important lessons on patience, cultural sensitivity, and the power of personal connections.

Creating a successful energy-sharing initiative is no small feat, especially in neighborhoods where social cohesion is low, and mistrust is prevalent. In Otterbeek, the challenge was clear: how to engage residents and earn their trust in a project designed to benefit everyone. During a recent reflexive learning session, the Otterbeek team shared their approach and what they’ve learned about community engagement in these tough settings.

The Slow Path to Building Trust

In Otterbeek, trust isn’t given easily. Residents have faced numerous challenges, from economic pressures to language barriers, making them naturally cautious of new initiatives. The project team quickly realized that building trust in this environment wasn’t going to happen overnight.

“Trust takes time, especially in communities where people have experienced broken promises in the past,” one team member noted. To address this, the Otterbeek initiative adopted a hands-on approach, engaging with residents directly through door-to-door conversations. This personal touch helped to break down barriers, one interaction at a time.

Instead of expecting immediate results, the team embraced a long-term perspective, understanding that patience and persistence are key to earning the community’s confidence.

Cultural Sensitivity is Key

Otterbeek is home to a diverse mix of cultures, which means that a one-size-fits-all approach simply doesn’t work. The project team recognized the need for communication strategies that respect and understand these cultural differences.

“When working with such a diverse community, empathy and cultural awareness are essential,” said a project leader. By tailoring their engagement efforts to reflect the unique backgrounds and traditions of the residents, the team aimed to create a sense of belonging and inclusivity.

This approach wasn’t just about speaking the same language—it was about listening and responding to the community’s concerns in a way that felt genuine and respectful. This cultural sensitivity has proven crucial in breaking down walls of skepticism and encouraging more residents to join the conversation.

Next Steps: Personalized Outreach and Community Ambassadors

Looking ahead, the Otterbeek project will continue its personalized outreach efforts, focusing on one-on-one interactions and deepening its understanding of the community’s needs. An exciting development in their strategy involves the use of community ambassadors—local residents who can help bridge cultural gaps and act as trusted liaisons between the project and the neighborhood.

These ambassadors will play a vital role in creating a more supportive environment where all residents feel valued and included. Their unique perspective and local knowledge will help the project connect more effectively with the community, making the energy transition a shared journey.

Conclusion: Trust and Cultural Sensitivity as Pillars of Engagement

The Otterbeek experience has shown that trust and cultural sensitivity are not just desirable—they’re essential for successful community engagement. Building these foundations may take time and effort, but the payoff is worth it: a community that feels empowered, involved, and ready to embrace the energy transition.

By investing in relationships and understanding the diverse needs of residents, we can create a stronger, more inclusive path to a sustainable energy future.

Making Energy Communities More Inclusive: Lessons from AGEM

The energy transition is well underway, and projects like those led by Agem Organisation are committed to involving citizens at every step of the process. However, reaching and motivating a wide audience isn’t always easy—especially when technical details dominate the conversation. In a recent reflexive learning session, Agem shared its strategies on making energy projects more inclusive, ensuring that everyone feels welcome and understood.

Breaking Down Technical Jargon

One of the biggest challenges in energy projects is the complex language often used. Terms like “grid stability,” “photovoltaics,” or “energy balancing” might be second nature to experts, but they can be off-putting and confusing to many people. Agem realized that this barrier prevents potential participants from getting involved and contributing to the discussion.

“It’s not enough for only the technical experts to understand what we’re talking about. We need to speak in everyday language that everyone can relate to,” said a representative from Agem. The team has since made it a priority to translate complex information into simple, relatable terms that resonate with everyone, regardless of their technical background.

More Interaction, Less Lecture

Agem took another crucial step towards making its energy initiatives more inclusive by moving away from traditional presentations in favor of interactive workshops and discussion sessions. “We found that people are much more engaged when they can actively participate rather than just listen,” the team reported.

Workshops that encourage participants to share their own ideas and directly interact with experts have brought a new level of energy to the meetings. These interactive formats are proving to be far more effective at engaging a broader range of people and encouraging diverse perspectives in the project.

Looking Ahead: Inclusivity as a Guiding Principle

The learning session inspired Agem to further refine its communication strategies. The goal is clear: to create an open and welcoming environment where both experienced professionals and newcomers can play an active role in discussions about the energy transition.

Agem plans to implement these lessons in future projects, with a focus on reaching out to all community members, whether they have a technical background or not.

Conclusion: Making Energy Accessible for All

The session with Agem highlighted the importance of making energy initiatives accessible to everyone. Embracing inclusive approaches and clear communication are essential to motivating more citizens to take an active role in their communities’ energy futures. Because only when everyone is involved can we build a truly sustainable and successful energy transition.

Let’s shape the future of energy together—by making it understandable and accessible for all.

Empowering Communities: Retrofitting Multifamily Buildings in Gabrovo through TANDEMS

As part of its mission to accelerate the clean energy transition, the TANDEMS project is leading a community-driven effort to retrofit multifamily buildings in Gabrovo, Bulgaria. Known for its rich heritage and ambitious climate goals, Gabrovo plays a key role in the TANDEMS project, which fosters collaboration between municipalities and energy cooperatives to improve energy efficiency and promote renewable energy adoption.

One of the most pressing challenges Gabrovo faces is the energy inefficiency of its multifamily residential buildings. Many of these structures, built decades ago, are outdated and consume excessive amounts of energy, resulting in high utility costs for residents. The TANDEMS project steps in to address this by providing pathways for residents to take ownership of the energy transition while benefiting from building retrofits that reduce energy waste and lower costs.

Gabrovo

Citizen-Led Renovations: The Heart of the Project

In Gabrovo, the TANDEMS project supports retrofitting efforts through citizen-led initiatives. It engages residents of multifamily buildings in decision-making processes related to energy renovations, empowering them to shape the future of their homes by making informed choices about insulation, solar panel installations, and other energy-saving upgrades.

However, retrofitting multifamily buildings in Bulgaria presents unique challenges. During the 1990s, as part of the country’s privatization process, apartments were sold to individuals, but the buildings themselves were not privatized as a whole. This left ownership fragmented, with decisions about building renovations needing consensus from numerous owners, each with different financial capacities and priorities. Despite these obstacles, TANDEMS is making strides in uniting these stakeholders and pushing energy efficiency upgrades forward.

This community-driven approach is essential to the project’s success. By involving residents in the decision-making process, TANDEMS ensures that retrofitting efforts reflect the specific needs of the people who live in these buildings, rather than being imposed from above. This model fosters a sense of ownership and accountability, encouraging residents to maintain improvements and pursue further sustainability initiatives over time.

Financial Models for Accessible Energy Efficiency

One of the main barriers to retrofitting multifamily buildings is the financial burden on individual residents. To make these renovations more accessible, the TANDEMS project in Gabrovo employs an innovative financial model that distributes the costs across multiple stakeholders.

The Municipality of Gabrovo plays a pivotal role by offering administrative support and covering up to 40% of the renovation costs. Homeowners’ associations contribute around 15%, while the remaining funds come from local investors, energy traders, and EU grants. This collaborative financial model ensures that the burden on individual residents remains manageable, making it easier for them to participate in the energy transition.

This approach not only lowers financial barriers but also incentivizes a broad range of stakeholders—from local government to private investors—to get involved in supporting energy efficiency efforts.

Gabrovo

Learning from Europe: Best Practices and Knowledge Sharing

Gabrovo is not alone in its quest for more energy-efficient homes. Through the TANDEMS project, the city partners with municipalities and cooperatives across Europe, benefiting from the experiences and best practices of other cities in Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands. By working closely with partners like Kamp C in Belgium and Agem in the Netherlands, Gabrovo is adopting proven strategies for retrofitting buildings and adapting them to the Bulgarian context.

This cross-border knowledge exchange has been instrumental in overcoming technical, legal, and financial challenges. For example, Gabrovo has drawn inspiration from Dutch energy cooperatives, which focus on creating transparent and citizen-centered energy markets. These successful models show how energy cooperatives can unite residents, local authorities, and investors to drive large-scale energy renovations.

By incorporating these strategies, Gabrovo is creating a sustainable framework for retrofitting that can be replicated in other regions across Bulgaria and beyond.

Reducing Costs, Reducing Emissions

The benefits of retrofitting multifamily buildings extend far beyond lowering energy bills. By improving insulation, upgrading windows, and installing renewable energy sources like solar panels, these renovations significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

This is a key part of Gabrovo’s plan to become a climate-friendly city, contributing to Bulgaria’s national energy efficiency goals and aligning with the European Union’s Green Deal, which aims to reduce Europe’s carbon footprint and promote sustainable development across the continent.

Gabrovo

Looking Ahead: A Blueprint for the Future

Gabrovo’s success in retrofitting multifamily buildings through TANDEMS demonstrates the power of community-driven energy projects. By bringing together residents, local authorities, and private investors, the project is creating a replicable model that other cities and regions can follow.

Gabrovo’s approach proves that energy efficiency and renewable energy adoption can be achieved through collaboration, shared ownership, and innovative financial models. The city’s experience will serve as a valuable case study for other municipalities across Bulgaria and Europe that face similar challenges in retrofitting their building stock.

As the TANDEMS project progresses, Gabrovo’s experiences will inspire other communities to pursue their own pathways toward a sustainable future. By fostering community engagement, providing financial support, and creating a replicable framework, TANDEMS is ensuring that no one is left behind in the clean energy transition.

TANDEMS sister projects: Breaking barriers, building bridges in LIFE LOOP

At the heart of the LIFE LOOP project lies a vision for a 100% community-led renewable energy transition. Despite the commendable efforts of citizen energy cooperatives and local authorities, many municipalities face significant challenges in prioritizing clean community energy. These challenges are both internal and external, making it difficult to push forward with such essential initiatives. The LIFE LOOP project aims to break these barriers by raising awareness about the benefits of community energy and equipping municipalities with the capacity to initiate new energy projects, especially in regions where the community approach is undervalued.

Pioneering progress: from pilot sites to replication

LIFE LOOP’s pilot sites are located in Crete, Greece; Zagreb, Croatia; and Bistrița, Romania. These sites serve as testing grounds for the project’s initiatives, which will later be replicated in Sardinia, Italy; Gabrovo, Bulgaria (which is also a pilot site in the TANDEMS project); Tulcea, Romania; and Cyprus.

Strategies for success: building capacity, raising awareness, and fostering collaboration

To achieve its objectives, LIFE LOOP combines EU-wide and local activities that involve municipalities, energy cooperatives, citizens, and other stakeholders. The project focuses on building capacity by providing training and resources to local authorities and citizen groups, empowering them to start and manage energy projects. Raising awareness is another critical component, with targeted campaigns designed to highlight the benefits of community energy and the potential for local sustainable energy initiatives. At the heart of the LIFE LOOP project stands the community energy accreditation scheme. This program is designed to bridge the knowledge gap by offering municipalities online training sessions on community energy topics and by allowing them to self-assess their current community energy support. By participating, municipalities gain access to valuable online resources and a networking platform that facilitates effective partnerships between municipalities, energy communities, and citizen-led initiatives.

Driving change: catalyzing collaboration for implementing local energy and climate plans

By putting people at the heart of the clean energy transition, LIFE LOOP aims to catalyze significant change. Successful community energy projects and the collaboration between citizens and local authorities can increase social acceptance of renewable energy projects, boost local economies by keeping money within the community and creating jobs, and enhance energy resilience through energy efficiency and sustainable practices.

Navigating challenges, embracing opportunities

However, the journey is not without challenges. Regulatory barriers, funding constraints, and limited awareness among citizens and authorities can hinder progress. Yet, these challenges also present opportunities. Successful pilot projects can provide evidence to shape supportive policies, while raising awareness can drive citizen interest and participation in energy projects. Expanding successful models to new regions can amplify the project’s impact.

Key lessons learned: collaboration, communication, and inclusivity

Key lessons from LIFE LOOP highlight the importance of collaboration, tailored communication, and inclusive practices. Strong partnerships between diverse stakeholders are essential for the success of community energy projects. Effective outreach strategies must consider regional contexts and specific audience needs, and gender-just approaches enhance the effectiveness and reach of energy initiatives. Local engagement from the outset ensures greater acceptance and sustainability, although working with municipalities requires patience and hands-on activities that demand minimal time from local authority representatives.

TANDEMS Chatbot Online: Your 24/7 Energy Community Support

Europe is undergoing a revolution in energy. Energy Communities (ECs) are at the forefront of this change. They are enabling individuals to play a part in the just energy transition. Imagine generating your own clean power with your neighbours. It’s a game-changer. However, attracting new members and keeping them engaged can be a challenge. That’s where TANDEMS Chatbot steps in to take the lead! This nifty little tool shall help managing those curious crowds without breaking a sweat, all while building trust and fostering a positive experience for everyone.

What is the TANDEMS Chatbot

The TANDEMS Chatbot isn’t magic, but it is powered by impressive technology. It uses Large Language Models, or LLMs for short, to understand questions even if you don’t use technical jargon. Think of it as a mind-reader in training – it can figure out the core meaning (the “intent”) and key details (the “parameters”) of your question. Armed with this understanding, it then taps into its vast knowledge vault of FAQs, reports, and other, sometimes open, sometimes neatly curated resources to provide the most helpful answer for newcomers to Energy Communities, but also to people that have some expert questions. In case the Chatbot is unable to answer or unsure of providing the correct answer or whenever the continuation of a conversation is in need of personal information, it will direct you to the real, human experts in your region.

Tandems chatbot replying to questions on Energy Communities. 

Two ways the TANDEMS Chatbot makes life easier for Energy Communities:

Always on duty, never needs a coffee break: Think of TANDEMS Chatbot as your EC’s personal greeter. It can answer basic questions, explain things in a super clear way, and even make the onboarding process a breeze. Unlike its average human pal, the TANDEMS Chatbot is a night owl and an early bird all rolled into one. Newcomers can get their questions answered anytime, anywhere, no matter what time zone they’re in. And – you may ask questions in the language you prefer – the TANDEMS chatbot is multilingual.

Instant “Aha!” moments and picking up where you left off: Whether you’re wondering about the cost savings or the technical nitty-gritty of solar panels, the TANDEMS chatbot is here to shed light on it with brief explanations. It can also adapt to your customers’ knowledge level, providing simple explanations for more basic questions. It is also a tool to educate the public about the opportunities and responsibilities of those who want to set up their own or become a member of an existing energy community. In the end it is like having a personal energy guru at your fingertips!

Tandems chatbot replying to questions on Energy Communities. 

A Sneak Peek at TANDEMS Chatbot in Action:

Right now, the bot located on the TANDEMS website relies on information openly accessible on the internet, on a well-curated document about Energy communities (including trusted links provided by the European Commission and aligned projects) and based on a TANDEMS-based knowledge source also including information on selected TANDEMS pilot sites. All information are based on the elaborations of the Austrian communication and dissemination partner OIKOPLUS and the Flamish energy cooperative ZuidtrAnt. You will receive the most reliable answers about Energy communities and a just energy transition, about becoming a Prosumer and about the types of energy installations. Give it a try! 

Midterm Meeting: TANDEMs in Vienna

For its 4th consortium meeting, the partnership gathered in Austria’s capital and delved into the Austrian ways of energy sharing.

Often, since the LIFE project kicked off in 2022, the members of the TANDEMs consortium have gathered in front of their webcams. The partnership has also met four times in real life to discuss ways and strategies for collaboration between citizen-led initiatives and city administrations in the establishment and operation of renewable energy communities. Halfway through the project, the consortium met mid-April for its latest physical meeting. 

The meeting was held in Living Community Gleis21 (Image: Oikoplus).

Although the TANDEMs pilot sites are located in Belgium, Bulgaria, and the Netherlands, the Austrian capital was chosen as the meeting place. For good reason: Austria’s path to decentralized energy supply offers exciting examples of good practice that the consortium wanted to take a closer look at. 

A field visit therefore took the multinational traveling group to St. Pölten, the provincial capital of Lower Austria, just outside Vienna, for an afternoon. There, David Obergruber and Carina Wenda from the city’s Climate Coordination Office (Klimakoordinationsstelle) gave an insight into their work in setting up two municipal energy communities, which should also allow private households to join shortly. Many thanks to the city of St. Pölten at this point. A short walk through the city center then led to the Klangturm in the government district of the provincial capital. There, Dr Herbert Geisberger, Managing Director of the Energy and Environment Agency of Lower Austria (eNu), gave a highly interesting insight into the administrative and economic framework conditions for the operation of energy communities in Austria. He was able to answer numerous questions from the TANDEMs partners about the intricacies of the Austrian energy market and the boom in energy communities in Austria. He emphasized that one of the key elements of energy communities is that they do not just offer an economic model of energy sharing. Still, much more: real communities are created at a local level, with many social aspects. These are just as important for the success of energy sharing as the favorable purchase of energy, he said. 

Dr. Herbert Greisberger, Managing Director of Energy- und Umweltagentur NÖ (eNu) gave a stand-up presentation on top of Klangturm (Image: Oikoplus).

The TANDEMs partners were able to deepen their impressions and learnings from the field visit the following day at an inspirational breakfast in an informal atmosphere. Michaela Kaineder from the Nobilegroup, a company that offers technical solutions for the operation of energy communities, and Mika Hasselbring from Urban Innovation Vienna, were able to offer further exciting insights into the implementation of energy-sharing constructions in Austria. 

The different framework conditions in various European countries were also recognized. The members of the TANDEMs consortium had the opportunity to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different legislative regulations. These impressions were important because, not least, the TANDEMs project is also about developing concrete policy recommendations based on examples of good practice from Europe. The meeting in Vienna hopefully provided valuable input for this. 

Status updates on every work package were discussed (Image: Oikoplus).

And even though the weather was extremely changeable – typical of April – the friendly working atmosphere certainly helped to ensure that the consortium’s collaboration in the second half of the project continued to be positive and inspiring, not only in terms of content but also on a personal level.

In a public Inspirational Breakfast, Michael Kaineder (Nobile Group), and Mika Hasselbring (Urban Innovation Vienna) shared insight about the Austrian energy sharing models.

Inspirational Breakfast: Tools to make energy communities thrive!

Energy communities are playing a vital role in the clean energy transition, because they build resilience, independence and long-lasting cooperation. However, there are many legislative, financial and social obstacles that energy communities must overcome. How do they go about it and what methods, strategies or tools do they employ?

From 17th to 19th of April 2024 the TANDEMS consortium is meeting in Vienna for the fourth project partner meeting. During the three days, Oikoplus, our Vienna based partner, will organise an ‘Inspirational Breakfast’. This session invites impulse speakers to give insights into their work with communal energy, energy sharing, best practices, and noteworthy examples of their efforts within the energy transition. Each speaker will offer a unique perspectives into the complexities, but also opportunities of energy communities and energy transition. Their stories have a chance to inspire our partners and act as precedents for others.

Below we want to introduce our speakers:

OurPower is an emerging energy cooperative in Austria operating a peer-to-peer marketplace for RES electricity generated by its members. OurPower handles the online matching services as well as the whole process of electricity supply and billing. ‘Our vision is a world in which people use energy responsibly and obtain 100 percent of their electricity directly from regional renewable energy sources. With this goal, we operate our marketplace, which builds relationships around the topic of electricity. We stand for: common good, honesty, cooperation and pioneering spirit’.

Source: https://www.energiebezirk.at/ourpower/

Nobilegroup is a technology platform for Energy Hubs and micro-PPA’s. They create fully functional energy markets on a decentralized level and independence from volatile energy markets. They also share energy at a cost-based price-level by fully automated matching micro-PPA’s between members of their local energy hubs and their energy network. In 2024 Nobilegroup launched a new electricity offer across Austria under the brand ‘Power to the People’. The electricity comes 100 percent from Austria and renewable energy sources.

Michaela Kaineder, Director of Energy Hubs has been with the Nobilegroup for 2,5 years now and has together with her team already supported around 50 energy communities. Michaela and her team are responsible for the existing market as well as planned market development and internationalization, as well as the further development of the existing energy communities.

Source: https://nobile-group.com/

Mika Hasselbring works for the UIV Urban Innovation Vienna, which is the climate and innovation agency of the City of Vienna. They aim at supporting cities in their transformation into sustainable centres. They also play a vital role in supporting Vienna to become a digital capital and achieve climate neutrality by 2040.  UIV offers services in the field of: consulting, konwledge transfer, communication and netwroking, and project work. They are directed towards services are primarily aimed at the City of Vienna, national and international cities, public institutions, administration, science and research as well as private companies.

Source: Freepik

Join TANDEMS for an ‘Inspirational Breakfast’ !!!
Friday April 19th from 09:00 to 11:00
Gleis 21, 22 Bloch-Bauer-Promenade 1100 Wien

Register by klicking here!

Energy Communities and Cyber Security

Energy communities are based on local networks, connected by smart technology. This raises questions about potential security risks. What do we need to consider?

Energy communities allow energy to be shared locally across property boundaries. Smart energy communities can make a decisive contribution to ensuring that their members are less reliant on external energy. They are thus less dependent on fluctuating market prices.

Electricity Grid and Smart Meters

From a technical perspective, energy communities are billing constructs. In the vast majority of cases, the physical conditions of the electricity grid into which their members feed energy do not change. For example, anyone who operates their own photovoltaic system that feeds energy into the electricity grid, will also continue to feed energy into the grid as a member of an energy community. The difference, however, is that an energy company no longer bills the electricity generated. It is also offered locally to other members of the energy community – and billed at the energy community’s tariff. Smart meters made that possible. These meters can do far more than the electricity meters of the past. They do not only connect to the electricity grid, but also to the Internet of Things (IoT). But does networked and digital technology also create security risks when billing electricity?

The simple answer is yes – because wherever digital networking takes place and where organisations transfer data, there are risks and the need to think about cybersecurity.

Smart devices and security

Leonhard Esterbauer is a researcher at the interoperability of energy communities at the Vienna University of Technology. He explains the digital security risks for energy communities in an interview with the cybersecurity platform of the Austrian Center for Secure Information Technology. He states that “The networking of smart devices in the home or in company buildings naturally brings with it security-related problems. One of the most serious problems is when someone gains unauthorized access to my devices.” He gives the following advice to members of energy communities: “As everywhere on the Internet, it is important to check which of my data is processed, where and how.

As a general rule, a service should only collect the data that it actually needs for its operation. In addition, you should always question why the service needs to collect the date or send it somewhere. Dubious cloud devices are a negative example of this, and one should generally question the use of such devices. You should therefore only engage service providers that already have a good reputation. Otherwise you should have built up trust through independent checks.”

Policy and frameworks

Introducing: the Renewable Energy Directive (2018/2001/EU) of the European Union. It created the regulations and the binding framework for the establishment and operation of energy communities. And it led to a veritable boom in energy communities in many European countries. The scientific debate on the specific safety aspects of energy communities is developing slowly.

A 2023 research paper by a team of researchers led by Giovanni Gaggero from the University of Genoa, Italy, takes a concrete look at the new security risks posed by energy communities. The researchers analyzed architectures and protocols commonly used to build Smart Energy Communities, evaluating possible vulnerabilities. Their paper discusses solutions which society can employ to mitigate the risk, and highlights current gaps in the state of the art. They conclude: “Further work has to be done, in particular on the evaluation of the impact of potential attacks the distribution power grid.

In particular, the possibility that the platforms represent a single point of failure for compromising the distribution grid remains an open issue.” And in fact,  research on the particular security aspects of energy communities is happening. And a two-year research project at the university in Linköping, Sweden, which set-out in November 2023, focuses on developing new security methods for cloud-based energy systems. It also aims to develop new collaboration models that take into account the possibility of stakeholders to contribute to cyber security as well as market conditions in the context of energy communities.