The NGO Green Home organized a workshop dedicated to citizen energy communities. The goal of the workshop was to present a model in which citizens actively participate in the production, distribution, and consumption of energy from renewable sources. This approach encourages their active involvement in the energy market and contributes to reducing dependence on traditional energy sources.
Citizen energy communities promote the self-sufficiency of local communities and the decarbonization of the energy system, with a particular emphasis on the use of solar energy. Although this concept is not yet widely adopted in the region, experiences from other European countries show its great potential.
The workshop’s key speaker was Josip Beber, a representative of the Green Energy Cooperative (ZEZ) from Zagreb, an organization that has been successfully implementing energy community projects in Croatia for over a decade. In addition to presenting the steps involved in forming energy communities, workshop participants discussed the challenges in their implementation, as well as the importance of having an adequate legal framework, financial incentives, and professional support from state institutions.
Examples from Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Ireland, and Croatia demonstrated that the path to establishing energy communities is not straightforward, and that each country has developed its own model for how they function. Until recently, there was no legal basis in Montenegro to regulate the formation and status of energy communities. Sub-legislative acts are now expected to be adopted to regulate matters crucial for the functioning of such communities.
According to the Ministry of Energy and Mining, there are currently no operational energy communities in Montenegro, but a number of projects supported by European funds are active. The formation of at least one energy community is expected by the end of 2027.
Examples from countries already implementing the energy community concept show that financial support, a stable institutional framework, and broad societal acceptance are essential for their establishment.
The workshop was held as part of the project “We learn about energy communities,” with the support of the Ministry of Energy and Mining.
