Project; 01.01.2024 – 30.06.2026
EUSDR Priority Area(s): PA 2 Sustainable Energy
The Danube Region relies heavily on imported, fossil-fuel energy sources, which raises environmental, efficiency and security concerns. The concept of renewable energy communities (RECs) is not widely known in the Region, and their operation is often hampered by legal, internal operational, infrastructural or technical barriers. The overall goal of NRGCOM is to enhance the spread of energy communities by creating an appropriate environment for their proper functioning in the Danube Region.
Within the project, the partners review the legal frameworks, analyse the operation systems and governance techniques of existing RECs and collect best practises in the subject, in order to develop policy recommendations to remove the bottlenecks encountered, and jointly design a model and prepare a strategy for the creation of proper conditions for RECs establishment in the Danube Region. Through public awareness raising actions, the partnership enhances the dissemination of the concept in their countries. By encouraging and supporting local self-production and consumption, NRGCOM makes a great contribution to the transition to renewable energy sources in the Danube Region.
Objectives: The project builds on three main objectives:
- initiating the establishment of the pre-conditions for energy communities in the Danube Region,
- raising awareness on the importance of the transition to renewable energy sources (RES) and community-led energy initiatives,
- supporting energy communities to operate efficiently in the Danube Region.
The project will explore and propose legal solutions and analyse various operational models in order to promote the creation of the necessary and appropriate conditions for the creation of energy communities.
The ultimate goal of the project is to provide the Danube Region with a proper environment for operation and raise the awareness of the society, where community renewable energy initiatives can be launched and expand unhindered. Ultimately, the project supports the green transition and increase of energy efficiency, and thus contributes to the achievement of the decarbonisation climate targets and enhancing of energy security in the Region.
Need and (expected) impact: The collective and citizen-driven energy actions that help pave the way for a clean energy transition at local levels gain an increasing importance in Europe. They contribute to the grow of public acceptance of renewable energy and make it easier to attract private investments. At the same time, they have the potential to provide direct and tangible benefits to citizens by increasing energy efficiency, lowering their energy bills, and creating local job opportunities.
These Danube Strategy Flagship activities are expected to contribute to a better developed and more energy-conscious society in the Danube Region with the creation of more and more energy communities, with the overall goal to decarbonise the Region in line with the Paris Agreement.
Macro-regional dimension: NRGCOM builds on a multilevel approach, gathering 13 Project Partners and Associated Strategic Partners from 12 Danube Region countries. Thus, the results will be relevant for the whole Danube Region. The cooperating countries are the following: Austria, Hungary, Republic of Moldova, Germany, Montenegro, Croatia, Czechia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia.
Stakeholders involved: NRGCOM involves local/regional/national authorities, energy, development and sectoral agencies, one European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC), NGOs, interest groups, higher education and research institutions and a renewable energy source service provider.
Budget and Funding: EUR 2 533 053 – Interreg Danube Region Programme
Further information: https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/nrgcom
