Inclusive Energy Communities
Inclusive Energy Communities are a way to share clean and affordable energy to ensure no one is left behind in the energy transition.
What are Inclusive Energy Communities?
Inclusive Energy Communities function similarly to Energy Communities but with a distinctive approach. A non-profit organization produces renewable energy and self-consumes a portion while distributing the surplus to neighboring underprivileged families.
This is a concept developed by Greenvolt through Greenvolt Comunidades, reinforcing the Group’s commitment to ensuring an inclusive, fair, and accessible energy transition that leaves no one behind, including families with limited economic resources and/or in vulnerable social situations.
How do Inclusive Energy Communities work?
Producer Member is a non-profit organization that provides the space where solar panels are installed and self-consumes part of the energy produced.
Consumer Members are vulnerable families living nearby who consume the surplus energy at a reduced price or for free
Success Story: Bicesse Kindergarten
Greenvolt built the first Inclusive Energy Community through a partnership with Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Cascais (SCMC), a social institution that operates the Bicesse Kindergarten in the outskirts of Lisbon, Portugal.
Inclusive Energy Communities: Bicesse Kindergarten Project
Greenvolt assumed the complete management of the permitting process and all the necessary investment in grid fees to the operator and installation
Bicesse Kindergarten
The installation of 73 kW of photovoltaic panels on the rooftop covered more than 50% of its daytime electricity consumption;
Electricity bill decreased by approximately 57%, without any upfront investment.
Vulnerable Families
The families that were identified by SCMC within a 2km radius gained free access to the surplus energy.
Society
Benefits from 127 MWh/year of renewable electricity;
Which represents a reduction of 34 tonnes/year of CO2 emissions.
Inauguration Day
On May 2nd, we celebrated the birth of the First Inclusive Energy Community that marks another step towards our mission of making the energy transition inclusive and accessible to all.
The inauguration day was a fantastic gathering with the families set to receive free energy, our team, partners and special guests. And let’s not forget the kids! We organized a science workshop to teach them about renewable energy and its importance. After all, they are the future leaders who will help drive the energy transition forward.
The project caught the attention of the European Union
We were honored by the visit of the European Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, who visited the kindergarten facilities
The international interest sparked by this project has given us even more confidence to continue our mission. At the same time, it has also given us hope that in the future, this model will be replicated in other countries.
