Skip to main content
European Commission logo
Clean energy for EU islands

Finance opportunities

European Social Fund Plus

Invest in people
Energy Transition Strategy / Decarbonisation Plan
Project development

The European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) is the European Union (EU)’s main instrument for investing in people. With a budget of almost € 99.3 billion for the period 2021-2027, the ESF+ will continue to provide an important contribution to the EU’s employment, social, education and skills policies, including structural reforms in these areas.

The Fund will also be one of the cornerstones of EU socio-economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic has reversed gains in labour participation, challenged educational and health systems and increased inequalities. The ESF+ will be one of the key EU instrument helping Member States to address these challenges.

As part of cohesion policy, the ESF+ will also continue its mission to support economic, territorial and social cohesion in the EU – reducing disparities between Member States and regions.

  • Local authorities and administrative bodies
  • Social, cultural and educational institutions
  • NGOs, Companies, SMEs and associations

Horizon Europe

Research and innovation
Energy Transition Strategy / Decarbonisation Plan
Project development
Project implementation

Horizon Europe is the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation with a budget of €95.5 billion.

It tackles climate change, helps to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and boosts the EU’s competitiveness and growth.

The programme facilitates collaboration and strengthens the impact of research and innovation in developing, supporting and implementing EU policies while tackling global challenges. It supports creating and better dispersing of excellent knowledge and technologies.

It creates jobs, fully engages the EU’s talent pool, boosts economic growth, promotes industrial competitiveness and optimises investment impact within a strengthened European Research Area.

 

Legal entities from the EU and associated countries can participate.

ELENA – European Local ENergy Assistance

Energy efficiency in buildings
Energy efficient transport
Renewable energies
Energy Transition Strategy / Decarbonisation Plan
Project development

ELENA provides technical assistance for energy efficiency and renewable energy investments targeting buildings and innovative urban transport.

  • Public and private project promoters such as local, regional or national authorities
  • Transport authorities and operators
  • Social housing operators
  • Other companies (e.g. estate managers, retail chains, energy service companies).

Investment threshold

Normally, the amount of the investment programme must be above EUR 30 million. The ELENA grant amount can cover up to 90% of the total eligible costs, and the Final Beneficiary must fund the remaining 10% of the eligible costs.

Citizen cooperatives

Renewable energies
Energy efficiency in buildings
Energy efficient transport
Energy Transition Strategy / Decarbonisation Plan
Project development
Project implementation

Citizen or energy cooperatives refer to a business model where citizens jointly own and participate in renewable energy or energy efficiency projects. In energy cooperatives citizens are involved in both the decision making and financial & economical participation.

Any person can be a member of the cooperative and participate in its financing schemes.

Crowdfunding

Research and innovation
Renewable energies
Energy efficiency in buildings
Energy efficient transport
Energy Transition Strategy / Decarbonisation Plan
Project development
Project implementation

Crowdfunding is the use of small amounts of capital from a large number of individuals to finance a new business venture. Using crowdfunding creates you the opportunity to raise the money quickly and easily for projects supported by the like-minded supporters who are eager to help.

Any person or legal entity can be a part of crowdfunding campaign, either as a initiator or a donor.

Connecting Europe Facility

Project development
Project implementation

The Connecting Europe Facility is a key EU funding instrument to promote growth, jobs and competitiveness through targeted infrastructure investment. It supports the development of projects in sectors of energy, digital services and transport.

  • Public authorities
  • Private companies
  • SMEs
  • Private non-commercial organisations, NGOs only in coordination or the agreement with national government.

LIFE Clean Energy Transition sub-programme

Project development
Project implementation

Building on the success of the Intelligent Energy Europe (2003-2013) and Horizon 2020 Energy Efficiency (2014-2020) programmes, the LIFE Clean Energy Transition sub-programme continues to support the delivery of EU policies in the field of sustainable energy, in particular, the European Green Deal, the Energy Union (2030 energy and climate targets) and the European Union’s 2050 long-term decarbonisation strategy.

The LIFE Clean Energy Transition sub-programme has a budget of nearly EUR 1 billion over the period of 2021-2027 and aims at facilitating the transition towards an energy-efficient, renewable energy-based, climate-neutral and -resilient economy by funding coordination and support actions (Other Action Grants) across Europe. These are actions of high EU added-value, which are targeted at breaking market barriers that hamper the socio-economic transition to sustainable energy, and typically engage multiple small and medium-sized stakeholders, multiple actors including local and regional public authorities and non-profit organisations, as well as consumers.

Projects are co-financed under the LIFE Clean Energy Transition sub-programme in the following five areas of intervention:

  • Building a national, regional and local policy framework supporting the clean energy transition; 
  • Accelerating technology roll-out, digitalisation, new services and business models and enhancement of the related professional skills on the market; 
  • Attracting private finance for sustainable energy; 
  • Supporting the development of local and regional investment projects;
  • Involving and empowering citizens in the clean energy transition.

 

  • Public authorities (local, regional, national)
  • Private commercial organisations
  • Private non-commercial organisation, such as NGOs

European Energy Efficiency Fund

Project development
Project implementation
Energy efficiency in buildings
Energy efficient transport
Renewable energies

The European Energy Efficiency Fund aims to support the goals of the EU to promote a sustainable energy market and climate protection. Maximizing its impact, EEEF facilitates investments in the public sector offering funding for energy efficiency and small scale renewable energy projects.

  • Regions
  • City Councils
  • Universities
  • Public hospitals
  • Other public entities

JASPERS

Project development

JASPERS provides independent advice to the EU countries concerned to enable them to better prepare major infrastructure projects. JASPERS advice can cover project preparation, review of documentation, advice on compliance with EU law.

Local, regional, national authorities or other entities with public interest

NESOI European Islands Facility

Project development
Project implementation

The NESOI European Islands Facility’s goal is to unlock the potential of EU islands to become the locomotives of European Energy Transition by mobilising more than 100 M€ of investment in sustainable energy projects to an audience of 2.400 inhabited EU islands and give the opportunity to test innovative energy technologies and approaches in a cost-competitive way.

In short, the NESOI European Island Facility has three key objectives:

  • Promote investments for energy transition in the islands
  • Facilitate the decentralization of energy systems
  • Contribute to EU policies and the achievement of 2030 targets

The NESOI Facility works in close contact with the Clean energy for EU islands secretariat - created to facilitate the clean energy transition on EU islands from the bottom up; and bringing it one step forward by providing to islands training, technical support, cooperation opportunities and robust funding opportunities to concretely convert Island Sustainable Energy Action Plans into Renewable Energy Sources (RES) plants, building and energy infrastructure retrofitting, energy bills reduction, local job creation and more

To achieve this, NESOI is in the process of building a platform able not only to provide first-step funding for islands energy transitions plans, but also a one-stop-shop for islands where to find ideas and effective organisational, technical and financial instruments for the whole value chain of a project.

Expected results

  • € 100 / mln of investments activated
  • 440 GWh / year primary energy savings
  • 160,000 ktCO2 / year of GHG avoided
  • Any public and private legal entity established in EU Member States (Outermost Regions are eligible, Overseas Countries and Territories are not)
  • Both single entities and consortia can apply for support

InvestEU Fund

Project development
Project implementation
Financial institution instrument

Under the InvestEU Fund, direct and intermediated financing solutions are provided for small and medium-sized companies, social or micro-enterprises and private and public project promoters that are deemed economically viable according to internationally accepted standards.

  • Small mid-caps
  • Small and medium-sized companies
  • Social or micro-enterprises