Castile and León, the Basque Country, and Madrid are new focal points of the citizen energy transition.

The cooperative alliance that promotes Energy Communities throughout Spain has launched a campaign in Castile and León, Madrid, and the Basque Country with the goal of activating more than 800 new citizen initiatives focused on clean, fair, and participatory energy.

According to a statement from the Ecooo cooperative, the initiative is part of a national plan that seeks to launch more than 1,800 Energy Communities in different regions, following the path pioneered by Catalonia with the "Join Us" campaign. There, in just one year, 447 communities have already begun operating thanks to the involvement of citizens.

The entities that make up this alliance are Goiener, Ecooo, Energética, Som Energia, Som Mobilitat, Tandem Social, ePlural, AeioLuz, Cooperase and EnVerde , leaders in the social and solidarity economy that are joining forces to extend this model throughout the country.

343 communities in the Basque Country, 184 in Madrid and 324 in Castile and León

In the Basque Country, the goal is to activate 343 new communities, driven by the experience of the Goiener cooperative, a benchmark in the region. The campaign is supported by an interactive map where interested individuals can locate their municipality and register to participate in the nearest community, choosing their level of involvement and the desired energy services, from renewable generation to sustainable mobility.

In Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha, the challenge is to launch 184 new communities, coordinated by Ecooo, while in Castilla y León, the creation of 324 energy communities is planned, led by the Energética cooperative.

In all cases, the participation formula is the same: any person, entity, or administration can join to shape projects that combine renewable self-consumption, energy efficiency, electric mobility, or community storage.

Catalonia: a pioneering example with more than 1,000 communities on the horizon

The campaign also has its flagship in Catalonia, where the "Join Us" initiative has been active since October 2023, with the goal of achieving more than 1,000 energy-efficient communities in municipalities and neighborhoods throughout the region.

To date, 1,891 people have joined, enabling 447 energy communities to be activated in just one year. "The union of many people can generate unstoppable energy," the organization emphasizes.

To strengthen its reach, the national campaign includes an audiovisual advertisement co-produced by Ardit and RetinaStudioArt, with versions for social media and television.

Alliance to democratize energy

The alliance entities share a common purpose: to democratize energy . To this end, they rely on open-source digital tools, developed by Som Comunitats, that facilitate tasks such as community activation, management, and sustainability. These include a management area for administrators, a mobile app for members, an interactive map, forums, and personalized web spaces.

"This new project is a major step toward positioning Energy Communities as a real and scalable solution throughout Spain. We are committed to a fair, democratic, and citizen-led energy model," the cooperatives stated jointly.

Ten benchmark cooperatives

The alliance is made up of 10 entities with experience in renewable energy, sustainable mobility, social innovation, and the solidarity economy:

• Goiener , a non-profit citizen energy cooperative, a benchmark in the Basque Country and Navarre.

• Ecooo , specializing in self-consumption, consulting, and innovation in renewable energy in Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha.

• Energética , a cooperative from Castilla y León focused on the production and consumption of renewable energy.

• Som Energia , a national non-profit cooperative that markets 100% green energy.

• Som Mobilitat , a sustainable mobility cooperative.

• ePlural , a second-degree cooperative with five entities in the energy and social sectors.

• Tandem Social , specialized in innovation and social economy strategies.

• AeioLuz , a Valencian cooperative focused on local energy transition.

• Cooperase , based in Granada, is dedicated to energy-saving projects and sustainable urban planning.

• EnVerde , from Extremadura, focuses on a distributed energy model in the hands of citizens.

EFEverde.