Prague hosted the largest community energy conference in Europe

From 13 to 15 May, Prague became the centre of European community energy thanks to the European Energy Communities Forum 2024 conference. The event attracted over 150 representatives of energy communities from all over Europe. Minister of Industry and Trade Jozef Síkela emphasised the importance of community energy for the future of the Czech energy sector: "We need a real energy revolution and community energy, which we will launch in the coming months, is one of its main drivers," said Síkela.

Achille Hannoset from the European Commission praised the Czech approach and the amendment to the Energy Act, which supports community energy. In his speech, he called on all EU Member States to support community energy and mentioned the need for funding and the removal of administrative barriers.

Electricity sharing was due to start in the Czech Republic from 1 July 2024, but due to delays in the preparation of the Electricity Data Centre (EDC), the sharp start of community energy has been delayed until 1 August 2024. Eliška Beranová, Head of UKEN's Legislative Working Group, said: "The Czech sharing regulation is very good and meets the new European requirements for electricity market redesign. The launch of sharing, whether from July or August, will be a major milestone for the Czech energy sector and citizens."

The main pillar of the conference consisted of thematic workshops. Michal Svoboda from SMS ČR discussed the involvement of local residents in energy projects, while Miloslav Franek presented the Prague Renewable Energy Community. Jan Bakule from Frank Bold explained how community energy and electricity sharing will work in the Czech Republic, and Stavroula Pappa from REScoop.eu presented the development of EU legislation.

The workshops provided participants with practical information and a space to share experiences. Topics ranging from motivating local residents to financing energy projects were discussed. Participants' feedback was positive, appreciating the combination of lectures and interactive workshops, which enabled networking and inspiration for their own projects.

"What I found most interesting was meeting so many experts from all over the EU. I had the opportunity to discuss the latest trends and challenges in community energy with people who are leaders in the field," said Jan Kvapil, Product Manager at Domy sobě.

The conference showed that Prague is ready to play a key role in the development of community energy in Europe. UKEN continues to support those interested in community energy, offering a range of materials to help them get oriented and prepare for electricity sharing.

Source: Rescoop.eu