Energy sharing and energy communities

Decree 66/2009

Energy sharing was incorporated to the Finnish legislation only in late 2020, when the update to the Decree 66/2009 was passed in the Parliament. The 2020 update to the Decree contains provisions on sharing electricity produced together in a community or cooperative, which refers to a single building or a group of buildings located close to each other geographically. The energy sharing has to take place in a way that does not aim at making a financial profit, where the electricity is only used within the group, and that is connected to the grid through a single grid connection point (art 3 Decree 66/2009). The Decree has entered into force on 1 January 2021 with a transition time.
The production/consumption measurements will be carried out through the central data hub from January 2023 onwards. DSOs are free to implement the changes in measurement already before the centralised solution will enter into force. The local DSO is in charge of arranging net metering and setting out the administrative framework for metering (Chapter 4 art 2, Act 66/2009).
As the change of legislation is very recent and the transition period is still on, it is still unclear how the change will be carried out in practise.

Energy-sharing groups consisting of natural persons, companies, municipalities or other local authorities (located in same building or group of buildings (art 3 Decree 66/2009).

Energy sharing is only possible within a single building or a group of buildings producing and consuming energy for the usage of their residents or parties. Sharing cannot aim at making a financial profit but to sharing benefits between members of the “cluster”. (Chapter 1 art 3, Act 66/2009).

Only local energy sharing the same grid connection point is possible: sharing is limited to the residents of the same building or group of buildings (Chapter 4 art 2, Act 66/2009).

Housing communities wishing to install electricity generators are eligible for some support schemes described earlier in this report, e.g., the support for phasing out oil heating systems.

• Energy sharing: Energy sharing
• Energy communities, energy cooperatives, energy clusters   : Energy communities