NRGCOM Project Accelerates the Creation of Renewable Energy Communities Across the Danube Region

The Interreg Danube Region project NRGCOM has published two milestone outputs that mark significant progress in enabling renewable energy communities (RECs) across Central and Eastern Europe.

The newly released Engagement Strategy to Increase Interest in Energy Communities and the Pilot Activities Report capture the lessons learned from more than a year of coordinated awareness, education, and demonstration activities conducted by project partners in twelve countries.

The Engagement Strategy outlines effective approaches to motivate citizens, municipalities and local businesses to take an active role in the green energy transition. Building on extensive pilot experience – including public events, professional trainings and national fairs – it identifies the key drivers of participation: trust, credible local role models and clear, accessible information.

“The Strategy shows that a successful energy transition is not only about technology,” said Ana Boneta Jančić of Istrian Regional Energy Agency (IRENA). “It is about people – building trust, addressing their concerns and giving them a clear role in shaping their community’s energy future.”

The publication also stresses the importance of combining digital communication with in-person engagement, ensuring that citizens can connect with credible sources and practical examples in their region.

The accompanying Pilot Activities Report demonstrates how these engagement methods were implemented in practice. From youth-focused energy education in Montenegro and cultural-heritage-based activities in Croatia, to policy-level dialogues in Serbia and cross-border training in Hungary, Romania, and Slovenia, partners tested diverse participation models suited to local needs. “Our pilot actions proved that every community can find its own way to embrace renewables,” noted Marijana Božič of Regional Economic Development Agency for Sumadija and Pomoravlje, Serbia. “By testing various engagement formats, we built a foundation of trust and shared experience that can be replicated elsewhere.”

Across the Danube Region, more than 2,600 citizens and professionals took part directly, while project-produced media — from podcasts to educational videos — reached thousands more online.

Both outputs will contribute to the upcoming NRGCOM Awareness-Raising Toolkit, a transferable package of engagement and communication tools designed for other regions wishing to establish energy communities. “What makes NRGCOM unique is its real-life testing,” explained Melinda Tóth of South Transdanubian Regional Innovation Agency, Hungary. “These outputs are not theoretical — they reflect what genuinely works when you engage people to act on clean energy.”