On April 13, 2024, together with our partners SOLE and EuropAledro, we organized the first energy workshop in Ledro, Italy. This hybrid event, held both in person and over Zoom, marked a significant milestone for our project aimed at promoting renewable energy in rural and remote European areas.
Introduction and Participants
The workshop brought together a group of citizens from Ledro and Liechtenstein, as well as representatives from SOLE, EuropAledro, and other invited speakers. To ensure comprehensive participation and interaction, live translation between Italian and German was provided.
Session I: State of the Art and Steps for Creating a REC in Ledro
The first session began with an introductory round where all participants had the opportunity to present themselves, their fields of work, and their reasons for participating in the REC initiative. R. Leoni from SOLE then presented the strategy for launching the first Renewable Energy Community (REC) in Ledro. The discussion covered the selection of the legal entity, the right governance, a well-defined membership strategy, and a solid business plan.
Luca Barbero from GOCER introduced participants to the concept of RECs and explained the associated benefits such as energy independence, inclusion, and energy democracy. He emphasized that REC initiatives are launched from the bottom up and can offer extensive benefits to local communities, especially for vulnerable groups.
Session II: Social Value of RECs: Opportunities and Challenges
In the second session, Roberto Valcanover, President of CER Tenna, discussed the social value of RECs, outlining both the challenges and opportunities. He shared the experiences of CER Tenna, which was established as an unrecognized association, highlighting the benefits of increased self-consumption awareness, enhanced energy efficiency, and social advantages through new forms of aggregation. Valcanover stressed that RECs can play an important role in the liberalization of the energy market by offering collective benefits and allowing members to trade energy at agreed prices.
Session III: Digital Aspects of RECs
The third session focused on the digital aspects of RECs. Alex Prate from HYPHA spoke about the need to catalyze collective intelligence and impact capital to create sustainable energy communities. He introduced the concept of DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations), which enable communities to have joint ownership of solar panels and use surplus energy for community welfare projects.
Conclusion and Outlook
The first energy workshop in Ledro was a great success and laid the foundation for the further development of our REC initiative. The participants contributed valuable insights that will help us plan and implement the next steps. We look forward to continuing this project and are confident that together we can build sustainable and inclusive energy communities.
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