14/03/2024

The Green Synergy Cluster hosted a conference in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, as part of the SunSharing project funded by the European Climate Initiative (EUKI). The event highlighted the progress of energy communities powered by solar photovoltaic technology and crowdfunding efforts across the Southeast European landscape.

A key component of the conference was an in-depth review and comparison of progress in national policy and regulatory frameworks for energy communities, with a particular focus on Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece and North Macedonia. In particular, detailed insights were shared on crowdfunding as a specialised financing tool, and the launch of a dedicated platform to support such ventures. The session also highlighted best practices, including the Gabrovo Energy Community, which thrives on a public-private partnership model, as well as potential models applicable to multi-family buildings.

The discourse on energy communities was enriched by Lyubimka Georgieva's presentation, which looked at various support mechanisms that are essential for promoting local renewable energy initiatives. Based on a survey carried out three years earlier, Georgieva identified the main barriers to the establishment of energy communities in Bulgaria, ranging from financial constraints to lack of trust in collective models, knowledge gaps, administrative hurdles and uncertainties about profitability. Despite the passage of time, these barriers remain, highlighting the need for integrated support mechanisms to foster the growth of energy community initiatives. Several pioneering efforts in this area were showcased, all conveniently summarised and accessible through the National Gateway, with particular emphasis on target group profiles and readily available white label materials.

https://sharerenewables.bg/

The conference acted as a catalyst for potential collaboration between participants and laid the foundations for joint initiatives to promote the Energy Community model across the region.