Renewable Energy Community Bullas alleviating energy poverty
About this good practice
This project consisted in the creation of an energy community for municipality of Bullas, along with the infrastructure and resources to ensure its viability to alleviate energy poverty.
The project was a pilot initiative promoted by several partners with the aim of being replicated in other areas.The main social objective of this community is to offer energy benefits. Other benefits that will spring from this community are environmental, economic for its members and the municipality.
Activities included: production renewable energy, self-consumption, delivery of energy to third parties, energy storage, and energy efficiency services.
The project was articulated in 5 phases:
1. Data collection and technical-economic feasibility analysis
2. Communication of results and citizen training
3. Creation of the community and allocation of resources
4. Establishment of a social infrastructure and citizen engagement
5. Monitoring for five years and promotion of replication
The goal was to encourage citizen participation in decarbonisation and alleviate energy poverty using digitally monitored energy storage and renewable energy.
This project promotes the citizens active role in decarbonization by their participation in an energy community. It has digitalized consumption and analyzed data to improve demand management and flexibility and included energy storage systems to improve the energy generation management. It has made energy available to those suffering from energy poverty.
Resources needed
Total cost: €135,000. IDAE grant: €90,653. Partner: €44,347. 5 FTEs involved. 2 FTE's managed the community post-creation. Installations for self-consumption, facilities for pumping, connection of self-consumption to network.
An agreement of cooperation: Municipality, citizens,energy/RES companies
Evidence of success
The project was voted to be prioritized in participative budgeting by citizens in 2017, supported by multiple institutions, received public funding and retrieved private funding along its implementation, and created jobs and training was delivered. It is maintained nowadays and provides energy vouchers to citizens experiencing energy poverty and contributes to social, economic, and environmental benefits locally.
The balance of energy annually to energy vouchers is equivalent to 34.883,67 KWh.
Potential for learning or transfer
This practice builds on the municipality’s previous EU project experience (e.g. LIFE Sec Adapt). It was selected through participatory budgeting, and renewable energy actions were part of its climate adaptation plan.
Bullas was a pioneer in photovoltaic training as early as 2002 and has a clear commitment towards the climate adaptation and mitigation and the social inclusion of its population. This practice demonstrates how a municipality can shift from a passive role to an active agent of change.
It shows how local authorities can leverage public assets (e.g. rooftops) and engage citizens to create energy communities in its development. The experience is replicable in other municipalities with similar commitment by the local authorities and infrastructure.