Cross-project Learning on Community Energy Business Canvassing

Thanks to those who have joined us for DECA’s “Cross-project Learning on Business Canvassing” learning lab. 

The session offered a great overview of the different types of energy communities in Austria and Germany, as well as the Business Model Canvas (BMC), which could be used in the co-creation phase of energy communities in the Danube region and beyond.

Key Learning Takeaways:  

• Learning by doing. Austria is a flagship for energy communities and their rapid development; Germany has a long history of energy cooperatives, and there have been some great achievements through the Energiewende movement. However, energy communities still need more support, especially in the Danube region, where the community energy uptake is slow and underdeveloped.   

• Business model canvas (BMC). It is useful to see the community energy project idea from different perspectives of the BMC’s fields. Ultimately, a successful community energy initiative is the one that is built on a solid business case and turns into a viable, socially responsible business. The more detailed we can answer the questions, the better picture we can have on the business aspect of the project. The attached template can be used as a more general project planning canvas as well, defining the main goals and activity fields of the energy community. 

• Value proposition canvas. With the additional tool, we can define the benefits and the usefulness of our project. Using the two tools, we can have a full overview of the different aspects of our project and can focus on these benefits during member recruitment and negotiating with stakeholders. 

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