After three years of activity, discussion and fieldwork, the European project DISCOVER – Developing Integrated Services for Community Energy to accelerate Valid Energy transition is coming to an end. Co-funded by the European Union’s LIFE programme , DISCOVER has worked to support the creation and development of community energy projects, offering integrated services, practical tools and skills to support territories.
On 8 June 2026, the conference “Energy communities, their potential and how to boost citizen engagement” took place at Comet Meetings Louise in Brussels and in a hybrid format, organised in the framework of the European Sustainable Energy Week. The event brought together the results and final lessons of three LIFE projects dedicated to energy communities: POWER-E-COM, DISCOVER and ISLET.
The conference was an important opportunity for discussion between experts, stakeholders, institutional representatives, operators in the sector and realities active in European territories. At the center of the debate: the main barriers that still hinder the development of energy communities, the practical solutions to overcome them and the role of citizen participation in the energy transition.
For AISFOR, partner and coordinator of the DISCOVER project, as well as leader of WP6 – Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation, the event also represented a significant moment to enhance the path achieved, share the results achieved and reflect on the legacy of the project.
Why energy communities are more important today than ever
The conference opened with a reflection on the increasingly strategic role of energy communities in the European path towards the 2030 and 2050 climate goals. Energy communities are not only a tool for producing and sharing renewable energy: they can help reduce energy costs, strengthen social cohesion, create local economic benefits and decrease dependence on global energy markets.
One of the most relevant messages that emerged from the event concerns the change in barriers. If in the past the lack of awareness of citizens and the limited interest in these models represented central obstacles, today the picture is different. The technology is available and interest in energy communities has grown. The main difficulties, on the other hand, concern regulatory, financial, organizational and governance aspects.
This step is fundamental: the problem is no longer just to “convince” citizens and territories of the value of energy communities, but to create the concrete conditions for them to be born, function and last over time.
Energy communities have grown, but challenges change
One of the most important messages that emerged from the conference concerns the evolution of barriers. Energy communities are no longer a niche topic: in many European countries interest has grown, experiences have multiplied and the role of citizens in the production and sharing of renewable energy is increasingly recognized.
At the same time, the growth of energy communities brings with it new complexities. If in the past one of the main obstacles was the lack of awareness of citizens, today the most significant difficulties mainly concern regulatory, financial, technical and organizational aspects.
This means that technology, alone, is no longer the central point. The real challenge is to build favorable conditions: clear rules, sustainable economic models, reliable support services, transparent governance and the ability to accompany initiatives over time.
Starting from the community, not from technology
A transversal message that emerged from ISLET’s interventions concerns the centrality of people. Energy communities cannot be designed starting only from plants, available surfaces or technical models. Before the technological solution, it is necessary to understand the local needs, social relations, expectations and cultural characteristics of the territory.
The experiences carried out in the pilot islands of Greece, Italy and Croatia have shown how important it is to build paths that start from the “why”: why a community should be born, what problems it wants to address, what benefits it can generate and which actors must be involved.
Stakeholder involvement, therefore, cannot be considered a simple design activity or an initial phase. It must be a continuous process, capable of accompanying the entire development of the energy community.
Trust as an essential condition
The conference closed with a strong message on the theme of trust. The Croatian experience presented by Damir Medved, of Without Borders, showed how even motivated and action-ready communities can face significant obstacles if there is no solid relationship with institutions, network operators and regulatory authorities.
Trust is not just about the relationship between citizens. It is also about the ability of institutions to respond, to apply the rules, to ensure transparency and to accompany processes in a coherent way.
For this, the governance of energy communities must be clear, accessible and transparent. Without a reliable framework, even the best local initiatives risk stalling.
A legacy to be valued
The final conference on 8 June is not only the formal conclusion of a project process. It is also a starting point to continue to enhance what has been learned.
DISCOVER leaves a legacy of tools, models, services and skills that will be able to continue to support the creation and development of energy communities in Europe. But above all, it leaves an awareness: the energy transition is not just a technological issue. It is also a social, organizational and territorial issue.
Energy communities can become concrete tools to strengthen citizen participation, promote the shared production of renewable energy, generate local benefits and contribute to a fairer transition. To do this, however, they need support, clear rules, sustainable models and actors capable of accompanying them over time.
With the conclusion of DISCOVER, AISFOR confirms its commitment to promoting inclusive, participatory and territory-oriented energy transition paths, continuing to enhance the experience gained in the project and contribute to the development of more robust, transparent and accessible energy communities.
The recording of the final event is now available online.
Attached are the presentations of the speakers to be consulted freely