The goal is to promote community initiatives such as renewable self-consumption associations in rural and mountainous European municipalities and to equip citizens with knowledge to participate in the energy transition. Our climate targets and growing government subsidies for renewable energy are turning the role of us citizens upside down: from passive users to active constituents of the energy system by the possibility to participate in energy planning, production and management.

There are challenges of various kinds, however, (e.g. regulatory responsibilities at different levels of government, a lack of understanding of legal aspects and administrative procedures, financial hurdles and building regulations) that hinder the implementation of RECs. Education and dissemination of best practices and information on energy communities are therefore crucial for the successful involvement of citizens in the transition to renewable energy sources in decarbonisation.