Flamingo 50 energy community
About this good practice
The Flamingo 50 energy community, developed in partnership with the neighborhood in Balotești, Ilfov, was established to enable members to share their generated energy, addressing the challenges of having a single energy distributor and geographic isolation by prioritizing resilience and grid independence.
The Flamingo 50 residential complex is situated in a remote area of Balotesti, Ilfov County. The complex is constituted by the 32 newly constructed houses, all of these being parts of the energy community. The main problem addressed by this good practice is the fact that this residential complex is relatively isolated and there is a single energy provider in the area. Additionally, a significant number of residents work from home, which significantly increases the household’s energy needs. The residents, having identified these weaknesses, decided that they would create an energy community that would share renewable energy using solar panels. As a consequence, most of the members have photovoltaic panels installed and a few of the members own electric vehicles that are charged using energy from within the community. The future goal of the community is to achieve resiliency from the national power grid in cases when there are power outages.
The homeowners accessed individually funding through the "Casa verde" funding scheme operated by the Environment Fund Administration. This is a funding scheme which was available yearly and funded photovoltaic systems for individuals.
Resources needed
25% of homeowners successfully secured funding through the "Casa Verde" (Government backed) financing program, while the remaining 75% financed the installation of solar panels on their homes using their own resources. The maximum amount funded by “Casa Verde” was 6,000 Euro per household.
Evidence of success
With more than 27 members, the community has a high energy demand, with more than 97% of the households using electrical energy for heating."Casa Verde" program usually supports PVs installations of 3 KW/household (which can be increased with co-financing from the beneficiaries) with an estimated saving of 28 CO2 tons/year/house.
This practice ensures the energy required for home heating and electric car charging, promoting energy independence&reduces reliance on a single supplier in the region.
Potential for learning or transfer
This exemplary practice serves as a model for other remote communities seeking greater independence, reduced energy vulnerability, and lower energy costs. By adopting similar strategies, these communities can enhance their energy resilience and sustainability, fostering a more secure and economically viable energy future. It is particularly beneficial for geographically isolated areas aiming to ensure energy independence. Also, it demonstrates how individual funding sources can be effectively leveraged to achieve a collective goal of community-wide energy autonomy.
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
