Last week, Brussels hosted the final conference of the LocalRES Project, bringing together project partners, policymakers and key stakeholders committed to advancing Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) across Europe. The two-day event marked an important milestone to reflect on the project’s achievements and to discuss the future role of RECs in Europe’s energy transition.
Over the past years, LocalRES has played a pivotal role in fostering innovative and inclusive community energy models. By supporting demonstration sites across diverse territorial contexts, the project has enabled the development of robust governance structures, sustainable business models and advanced technical solutions. A central pillar of this work has been the structured exchange of knowledge between pilot sites, highlighting how collaboration and peer learning can accelerate the replication of successful approaches.
The first day of the conference, dedicated to project partners, focused on presenting key outcomes and lessons learned from the different pilot experiences. Discussions also addressed the policy and regulatory frameworks required to enable the large-scale deployment of Renewable Energy Communities. The second day opened the dialogue to a broader audience, including municipalities, cooperatives and citizens, offering practical sessions aimed at facilitating the implementation and scaling of RECs across Europe.
Aiguasol actively contributed to the conference by presenting the Spanish pilot developed in the Renewable Energy Community of Ispaster (Basque Country, named “Ekogella”. The presentation showcased practical insights from the deployment of a smart, community-based energy system, emphasizing the integration of advanced technological solutions with strong local engagement.
Key results from the pilot include the implementation of 349 monitoring and control variables, enabling sophisticated management of local energy assets. The project also introduced advanced smart control systems and innovative pricing strategies designed to optimise renewable energy generation and battery storage. Early analyses show significant improvements in energy flexibility and local resource management, as well as differentiated self-consumption performance across assets: preliminary results indicate high self-consumption rates (~75%) in the Arropain and Esunetaurrekoa PV systems (with retail dispatch recommended), and comparatively lower rates (~50%) in the Garro and Dolaraga PV systems (where a combination of self-consumption and retail dispatch strategies is advised).
These outcomes underline the importance of combining technical innovation, detailed energy modelling and active stakeholder collaboration to strengthen the effectiveness and scalability of Renewable Energy Communities.
Aiguasol’s participation in LocalRES reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting local energy transitions through cutting-edge technology, collaborative approaches and data-driven solutions. The conference not only celebrated the achievements of the project but also reinforced a growing European community of practice dedicated to ensuring that Renewable Energy Communities remain a key driver in the decarbonisation of Europe’s energy systems.
