Community engagement

As one of the frontrunners in Denmark’s island energy transition, Fejø has taken an important step in grounding its Clean Energy Transition Agenda (CETA) in the reality of local engagement. Despite strong momentum, the Fejø Transition Team has recently encountered challenges navigating Denmark’s complex legal planning framework, forcing a period of reflection and adaptation.Fejø, part of a small archipelago off the coast of Lolland, has seen its dedicated volunteers put significant effort into crafting a vision for a sustainable future.

As part of the EU’s 30 by 2030 Clean energy for EU islands initiative, the island of Gotland took a significant step forward in its strategy for community engagement and participation. In collaboration with the Energy Academy of Samsø, Denmark, a practical workshop (08 April 2025) was held to explore effective methods of fostering local involvement in the energy transition.Organised by Energicentrum Gotland and led by sustainability expert Mr Sören Hermansen, the workshop took place in the village centre of Roma, just outside Visby.

LocalRES is an EU-funded project that will deploy innovative local energy systems to put renewable energy into the hands of communities and people. The project will boost structural changes in the current energy system at different levels: generation, market, distribution and consumers.

Carbery Housing Association is a community based social housing developer and provider, approved by the Department of Housing. CHA purchases and leases properties to provide long term housing for rent for families who cannot afford to rent of buy on the open market. We secure local authority support and loan funding to develop these initiatives. We at present have 20 properties which are being rented to families nominated by the local Councils.

Here you may watch some tips from the island of Samsø, Denmark where all stakeholders got involved to make the island's energy transition possible!

Get also an insight into the our Energy Academy's most recent work: EN DK

The usual technical assistance and support schemes often take the capacity of a community to stay informed and eventually access such instruments for granted. Resources in the form of small grants for early stage organisation, preparations and planning are very scarce and as a result small islands are left behind. 

By 2021, Member States are required to transpose the relevant EC Directives (e.g. EMD II, RED II) into national legislation to facilitate the widespread establishment of energy communities. But how can energy communities be established and operated in a sustainable manner across EU Member States? This question keeps many energy market stakeholders busy. A host of inter-dependent organizational, technical, social, regulatory and business aspects need to be carefully balanced to achieve sustainable operation from an environmental & financial perspective.

Στις 17 Σεπτεμβρίου, ο Δήμος Κάσου σε συνεργασία με την Γραμματεία της Πρωτοβουλίας "Καθαρή ενέργεια για τα ευρωπαϊκά νησιά" και την Κάσιο ΚΟΙΝΣΕΠ, συνδιοργάνωσαν εκδήλωση στο προαύλιο του Λυκείου Κάσου (σύμφωνα με τις οδηγίες υγείας και ασφάλειας που σχετίζονται με την COVID-19).  

Στόχος της εκδήλωσης ήταν η ενημέρωση των κατοίκων της Κάσου για τις εξελίξεις αναφορά με την ενεργειακή μετάβαση του νησιού. 

Samsø, Denmark, once a meeting place for the vikings now is a gathering place for people interested in community development and sustainability.