On November 30, 2024, Borja Olives Verger, Project Technician at Aiguasol and energy communities expert, participated in the event “Cooperative Energy, Energy Communities, the Future of Energy Consumption”, held in the Assembly Hall of the Comunitat Minera Olesana, in Olesa de Montserrat. This meeting, organized to promote debate and reflection on the sustainable future of energy consumption, brought together sector experts, local entities, and citizens interested in the energy transition model.
One of the main activities of the event was the roundtable discussion “Public-Community Collaboration: An Integrative Solution”, in which Borja shared experiences alongside Danae Bognanova from Cívic Energy, Ferran Cerdeira, Councilor for Water and Energy in Olesa de Montserrat, and Susana Ladero, Coordinator for Action and Environment in El Prat de Llobregat. The session, moderated by Jaume Francesch, highlighted the importance of cooperation among various actors to promote community energy initiatives.
During his intervention, Borja emphasized Aiguasol’s extensive experience in fostering energy communities across the territory, illustrating this with examples from the cooperative’s work analyzing the technical and economic feasibility of energy communities in Barcelona, such as La Bordeta and Poblenou, as well as others outside Catalonia, like Ekogela (Ispaster, Basque Country), among others. He also highlighted the key factors for successful implementation, emphasizing the importance of finding the most suitable legal model in each case to ensure effective collaboration among administrations, companies, and citizens. Additionally, he shared strategies to overcome common barriers faced by these initiatives, such as managing technical complexity, addressing regulatory limitations, securing funding, and effectively communicating and engaging with potential users.
The event served as a space for active participation, where speakers sparked debate and inspired new ideas for the future of energy communities. Attendees exchanged views on how best to integrate this model into municipalities, particularly in Olesa de Montserrat, leveraging technological tools and the accumulated experience of organizations like Aiguasol.
Energy communities represent a unique opportunity to transform the current energy model into a more sustainable, democratic, and locally rooted system. At Aiguasol, with our expertise and firm commitment to the energy transition, we will continue to lead and promote projects that make this change a reality, working hand in hand with communities to overcome barriers and build a fairer and resilient energy future.
