Energy communities are springing up all over Europe. Often set up, owned and run by residents, businesses and local authorities, they range from small-scale solar power to community-owned wind turbines. However, they all share a common aim — to democratise local energy systems and support Europe’s clean energy transition.  

Unfortunately, not all energy communities are successful. Some struggle to maintain momentum while others need professional support and advice. That’s where LIFE COMANAGE comes in. The 3-year, €1.7 million EU-funded project, coordinated by Ecoserveis, helps pilot renewable energy communities (RECs) in Barcelona, Spain; Krakow, Poland and Lazio region, Italy, overcome legal, administrative, financial, social and organisational barriers while fostering good governance.  

‘We have been one of the main drivers of this project because we believe that energy communities are a way to democratise local energy,’ says Barcelona Metropolitan Area energy transition technician Marcel Camps Inglès. ‘They also support the transition to a fair, 100% renewable energy system.’ 

Different countries’ rules and regulations make collaboration and mutual understanding a prerequisite for solutions tailored to local needs. Operational Integrated Service (OIS) hubs in each pilot area were set up to develop, refine and deliver local solutions and to continue work after the project’s conclusion in October 2025. 

‘Renewable energy communities represent a major challenge for sustainable development,’ says Andrea Vignoli, project manager in Lazio Region, Italy. ‘This is because it focuses not only on energy but also on people. To address this challenge, the project has developed a series of tools and services designed to support the creation, growth and evolution of energy communities.’ 

Tools include an Energy Communities Governance Toolkit (ECGT) with downloadable guides, templates, fact sheets, infographics and other resources, plus an interactive e-learning programme and a Decision Support System (DSS) with a digital chatbot, all available on an online open platform. The team also produced factsheets including How can metropolitan authorities address urban energy poverty through energy communities? and Escaping the pilot trap: how can local authorities support scalable energy communities in Europe’s metropolises? 

COMANAGE lives on through a 9-person Board of Replicators — including representatives from Dakar, Senegal and Johannesburg, South Africa — an external community of practitioners working to test, challenge and replicate the approach across Europe and beyond. Both African cities have adapted the COMANAGE methodology to support a low carbon energy transition and to improve access to clean energy for millions of citizens. 

‘Outreach and stakeholder engagement have been essential,’ says Krakow Metropolitan Association project specialist Bartołomiej Smenda. ‘Once a month, we had intensive meetings with stakeholders from the Krakow Metropolitan Area and with experts from the project. The aim was to provide a broad education on both legal and technical aspects of energy communities and energy cooperatives.’ 

Overall, the project helped develop 12 new regulations, policies or strategies; reached over 32 600 stakeholders (more than double the original target); and saved more than 16 200 tCO2eq — roughly equivalent to the carbon emissions from 3 100 cars — each year. COMANAGE  is 1 of 7 LIFE ENERCOM projects funded under the LIFE Programme’s €1 billion Clean Energy Transition sub-programme, which was established to support the delivery of the  European Green Deal, EU Climate Adaptation Strategy, 2050 Long-term Climate Strategy and the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change. It also supports the Energy Efficiency Directive, the Fit for 55 package and the Renewable Energy Directive. 

A recent storytelling video presents the project’s interim key results and progress to date.