Imagine the residents of a village or neighbourhood jointly owning solar panels installed on the roof of a school, community centre or municipal building. The electricity generated can be consumed and shared among the members under rules established by the community and the applicable legislation.<\/p>\n
When local production is not sufficient, the remaining electricity is supplied through the national grid. Surplus production can be used or sold in accordance with the relevant rules. Such a system can provide local, renewable energy at more stable and competitive prices, while keeping important decisions in the hands of the community.<\/p>\n
This is an energy community: a form of organisation through which residents, local authorities, businesses and civil society organisations can jointly produce, consume, store and sell energy.<\/p>\n
This is no longer a theoretical idea. In 2026, Romania\u2019s National Energy Regulatory Authority, ANRE, adopted an operational framework and a registration procedure for energy communities. The regulations, guidance and application documents are available on ANRE\u2019s dedicated energy communities page<\/a>.<\/p>\n In August 2026, Mic\u0103sasa became the first Romanian energy community to be officially entered in ANRE\u2019s national register<\/a>.<\/p>\n The process in Mic\u0103sasa, Sibiu County, began in spring 2025. More than 40 households in the municipality already had solar panels. This led to the idea of creating a common organisation through which residents, businesses and the local authority could coordinate their energy production and consumption.<\/p>\n The project was developed together with a specialised company from Sibiu. By August 2026, the community had integrated 20 members and completed the necessary technical infrastructure. Its stated objective was to expand to 200 units by the end of the year.<\/p>\n More information about the beginnings of the initiative is available in the article \u201cA national first in Mic\u0103sasa\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n Under the framework established by ANRE, locally generated electricity is allocated among community members, while a main supplier covers the remaining consumption. The relationship between the community, the distribution system operator and the main supplier is governed by a multipartite agreement. A journalistic overview of this mechanism is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Mic\u0103sasa example shows that an energy community does not have to begin in a major city. What it needs first is a committed local group, a viable project and the capacity to complete the necessary legal, technical and administrative steps.<\/p>\n In 2021, ten Brussels residents, most of whom were already working in the energy sector, founded the Brupower cooperative. They had identified a clear gap: there were too few citizen-led energy initiatives in the city.<\/p>\n The cooperative was authorised as a citizen energy community in 2024. By August 2026, it had 500 members, three operational projects and seven more under construction. It installs solar panels on rooftops across Brussels and shares the electricity among residents, municipalities, small businesses and non-governmental organisations.<\/p>\n Its first project was developed together with DoucheFLUX, an organisation supporting homeless people and other vulnerable groups. The model therefore delivers direct social benefits alongside its economic and environmental impact.<\/p>\n Brupower\u2019s experience is presented in a European Commission best-practice report<\/a> and on the European Energy Community Platform<\/a>.<\/p>\n Brupower charges a base rate of 11 euro cents per kWh for the electricity it produces. Once network charges and taxes are included, the total price reaches 29 euro cents per kWh. The cooperative explains its pricing structure on its official tariff page<\/a>.<\/p>\n A person can become a co-owner by purchasing a cooperative share for \u20ac50. More information about the cooperative and the membership process is available on the Brupower website<\/a> and its membership page<\/a>.<\/p>\n Som Energia is one of Europe\u2019s clearest examples of how far a citizen energy initiative can develop.<\/p>\n The cooperative was established by 157 people in December 2010. By 2026, it had grown to more than 87,000 individual and organisational members and over 119,000 electricity contracts across Spain.<\/p>\n Membership requires a \u20ac100 contribution to the cooperative\u2019s capital. This can be recovered upon leaving the organisation, subject to the rules set out in its statutes. Decisions are made democratically, with each member holding one vote regardless of the amount invested.<\/p>\n Som Energia\u2019s documented model has also allowed villages with fewer than 500 residents to contract electricity without paying the standard entry contribution. This is a particularly relevant example for the small municipalities and villages of Harghita County.<\/p>\n Further information is available through the Sustainable Energy Youth Network<\/a>, WaypointSur<\/a> and Transformative Cities<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Belgian cooperative Ecopower was established in 1991 and has since grown to approximately 67,000 members. Together, they own wind turbines, solar installations, a hydropower facility and district-heating infrastructure.<\/p>\n Members have collectively invested approximately \u20ac60 million, while the cooperative\u2019s projects prevent around 61,000 tonnes of CO\u2082 emissions every year.<\/p>\n The example demonstrates how a small initiative can gradually become a substantial and lasting form of community ownership. Information about Ecopower\u2019s activities is available on the European Energy Community Platform<\/a>.<\/p>\nRomania\u2019s first example proves that it can be done<\/h2>\n
A major-city example from which we can learn<\/h2>\n
The Spanish example shows how far this model can grow<\/h2>\n
The lesson from Flanders: how a community idea can grow over three decades<\/h2>\n
What can the Ciuc region learn from these examples?<\/h2>\n