Fostering the energy transition at business level from a collaborative perspective
About this good practice
A new energy model is required that, besides focussing on renewable sources of energy, departs from a safe, decentralised and participatory approach. The need for decentralisation and self-sufficiency has even been highlighted by the pandemic. In this context, energy communities stand up as essential tools to tackle these needs.
The municipality of Terrassa has a population of 230.000 people and is home to 21 industrial estates with a huge potential to produce photo-voltaic electric energy.
The local authority of Terrassa aims to boost the energy transition at local level offering facilities to process projects and different bonuses to local taxes. The employer’s association Cecot offers a service called Cecot Renewables that aims to support companies in their energy transition boosting savings & efficiency, electric mobility and the installation of photovoltaic modules for electric self-consumption.
Both actors have signed a PPP that aims to accelerate the energy transition. Initial steps are being made to go beyond individual self-consumption of photovoltaic electric energy and facilitate collective self-consumption as well as the creation of energy communities. First, the energy demand of a number of companies and their capacity to produce photovoltaic energy will be analysed so as to foster the collaboration among companies and collective self-consumption. Second, different governing statutes and business models for future local energy communities will be studied.
Resources needed
The collaborative actions that are being undertaken require:
• Human resources: A team of 6 people at Cecot Renewables and 2 people from the local authority of Terrassa.
• Management tools and resources.
• Economic resources to finance studies and dissemination activities
Evidence of success
This practice is considered as good because it is a successful public-private partnership between a local authority and an employer’s organization. It consolidates a partnership initiated in 2019 between both organizations, which was evaluated and obtained good results. Current activities are in progress and cannot be assessed.
In general, bonuses to local taxes have been improved, photo-voltaic self-consumption projects have been undertaken in 165 companies (52 of which have become reality).
Potential for learning or transfer
This practice is potentially interesting for other regions to learn from because:
• It is an example of PPP involving a local authority and an employer’s organization and focusing at local level.
• It has run for 2 years (focusing on other activities) and obtained good results.
• It will tackle some relevant methodological issues regarding collective self-consumption of photo-voltaic energy and energy communities such as the elaboration of governing statutes and services' projects models. Since European Directives set up a model for local energy communities, both methodological issues can be useful for local authorities and other relevant stakeholders.