- Energy Communities allow people to directly access the energy system through shared photovoltaic installations, electric mobility, or heat networks, among other options.
- The alliance will extend the “Som Comunitats” project to five autonomous communities, which serves more than 3,000 people and 400 Energy Communities.
- The platform, already operational, includes tools for managing energy communities, a mobile app, a forum, a map, and web spaces.
In another step toward a more sustainable and participatory energy model, the alliance of the cooperatives Som Energia, Goiener, Ecooo, Energética, Som Mobilitat, ePlural, and Tandem Social has launched a nationwide project to consolidate and strengthen Energy Communities based on the principles of the Social and Solidarity Economy. Energy Communities are non-profit legal entities that meet the energy needs of the individuals and entities that comprise them, thus offering a real alternative to the current energy oligopoly.
The alliance was born from the experience and success of the Som Comunitats model, developed in Catalonia in recent years, with the aim of scaling and replicating its impact in other autonomous communities such as Madrid, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, the Basque Country, and Navarre.
An innovative and scalable model
The project seeks to create a large network of interconnected Energy Communities, facilitating their activation and management through a digital platform that includes open-source tools such as a management area for Community administrators, a mobile app for members, a map to showcase the Communities and facilitate the registration of new members, a website, and a forum. Furthermore, the initiative puts citizens at the center, promoting a decentralized, 100% renewable, and collectively managed energy production and use model.
Key objectives of the project
To facilitate the activation of new Energy Communities, the project seeks to deploy an ecosystem of territorial support structures adapted to each local situation and outreach activities. In turn, with the expansion of the digital platform, it aims to provide more services for Community management beyond collective self-consumption. Promoting intercooperation among social and solidarity economy entities also strengthens the citizen energy transition and ensures the sustainability of the platform through the creation of shared governance at the state level.
A response to the eco-social crisis
Energy Communities have proven to be a key element in the democratization of energy, allowing individuals, public administrations, businesses, and industry to actively participate in the production and use of renewable energy. In Catalonia, the Som Comunitats project, through an alliance between the cooperatives Som Energia, ePlural, Tandem Social, and Som Mobilitat, is facilitating the creation of more than 400 Energy Communities, generating a positive impact in terms of energy and social transition.
The entities that make up the alliance at the regional and state levels agree that “this new project is a major step toward positioning Energy Communities as a real and scalable solution throughout Spain. We are committed to a fair, democratic, and citizen-led energy model.”
About Som Comunitats
Som Comunitats is a second-level cooperative formed by entities leading the energy transition from the social economy and non-profit perspective. It was created to offer technological tools and innovative solutions that contribute to the sustainability of Energy Communities and their ecosystem at the state level. Currently, the Som Comunitats Platform serves 84 Energy Communities in operation, with a total of 3,115 partner individuals and entities. It also facilitates the promotion of 445 Energy Communities, with a total of 2,050 people who have joined the platform to participate in their activation.
About the national driving entities
The constantly expanding project is led, together with our cooperative, by the following leading cooperatives:
Som Energia: A non-profit green energy consumer cooperative dedicated to the marketing and production of renewable energy, to drive a shift from the current energy model to a 100% renewable energy model.
Goiener: Non-profit citizen energy cooperative. It sells 100% renewable electricity to member individuals and entities and generates its own renewable energy. It specializes in management and administrative support for Energy Communities in the Basque Country and Navarre.
Ecooo: Worker-led cooperative that promotes self-consumption, investment, consulting, innovation, and citizen participation projects in renewable energy. It specializes in supporting Energy Communities in Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha.
Som Mobilitat: Non-profit consumer cooperative that offers mobility services and products to accelerate the transition to more sustainable mobility.
ePlural: Second-level cooperative working to achieve the energy transition, made up of five cooperatives with expertise in the energy sector, sustainable mobility, and development.
Development of the social and solidarity economy.
Tandem: A worker cooperative with experience in innovation, improving the working conditions of workers in various organizations, and strategies for the growth of the social and solidarity economy.
