Thanks to a successful web conference-call organized on April 22, the Piemonte Region had the opportunity to officially involve for the first time the regional stakeholders inside the SHREC project.
The online meeting was focused on the establishment of the first local Energy Communities in Piemonte and was attended by 38 participants from different stakeholder organisations. The promotion of energy communities is one of the pillar of the regional Energy and Environmental Sustainability Plan, which is setting the main targets for 2030 in terms of renewable energy production and level of energy efficiency. Energy Communities (EC), as they are esablished at regional level, are a group of local administrations participating directly in the energy transition, by jointly investing in producing, selling and distributing renewable energy.
Virtual stakeholder meeting in Piemonte
Representatives of policy makers, local administrations technicians, energy utilities, academia and research institutions could participate, even though virtually, in the presentation of SHREC contents and objectives, of the national and regional regulatory framework about EC and of the four projects which were selected after a regional call of interest. They will involve about 80 municipalities with 135,000 inhabitants and will receive a financial support by the Piemonte Region in order to establish the EC.
The following roundtable debate stressed the need of a more clear national regulatory framework to set the pathway which the ECs that are about to be created will have to adapt. From now on, the Piemonte Region is called to play an active role as coordinator between the national and the regional level and between private energy utilities and the EC. By merging the different points of view and needs the policy instruments will be positively strengthened.
