An urban energy community with social, economic and environmental impact

At Aiguasol, we work to accelerate the energy transition through a technical, social and community-based approach. Within this framework, we have provided comprehensive support to the La Bordeta Local Energy Community (CELB), a pioneering initiative promoted in the La Bordeta neighbourhood, located in the Sants-Montjuïc District of Barcelona.

This initiative was created with a clear objective: to democratise access to renewable energy and to transform the energy transition into a tool for social cohesion, citizen participation and collective empowerment.

Our work has covered all stages of the energy community’s development: from needs assessment and the definition of community energy services, to deployment planning and the design of business, financing and feasibility models. We have also supported the implementation of the first projects and the subsequent evolution of the economic model and business plan, with the aim of ensuring long-term sustainability and scalability.

A comprehensive support process to consolidate a community energy model

Our support to CELB has been developed as a continuous process of strategic definition, operational deployment and consolidation of a community energy model that can be replicated in dense urban environments.

From the earliest stages of the project, we have contributed an integrated and holistic perspective aimed at structuring an energy community capable of combining technical feasibility, economic sustainability and social impact.

Phase 1: Needs assessment, service definition and strategic planning

In the initial phase, through a collaboration agreement between BATEC and the Barcelona Energy Agency (AEB), we led the technical team responsible for carrying out the needs assessment process, defining services and planning CELB’s strategic actions.

This work enabled the structuring of the energy community’s main services:

• Shared photovoltaic generation
• Energy renovation measures, including both passive solutions and electrification of thermal systems
• Shared electric mobility services
• Optimisation of energy sharing allocations based on hourly consumption and generation data

This phase established the project’s technical, social and economic foundations, defining a strategy aimed at maximising the community’s energy and social impact within the neighbourhood.

Phase 2: Business model consolidation and operational deployment

Subsequently, we supported CELB in consolidating a scalable and replicable business model, in parallel with the implementation of the first shared photovoltaic projects co-financed through the CE IMPLEMENTA programme.

During this stage, we provided support in:

• The transformation of the association into a cooperative structure
• The identification and validation of available rooftops
• Technical and economic feasibility assessments for the projects
• Addressing regulatory and administrative barriers
• Optimisation of photovoltaic energy allocation schemes
• The definition of a business plan aimed at securing financing through Coop57

One of Aiguasol’s key contributions has been the development of a robust, scalable and adaptable economic model for complex urban environments such as Barcelona, including:

• Blended financing schemes combining public subsidies and cooperative private financing
• Financial participation of cooperative members
• Economic and financial planning tools
• Long-term sustainability strategies
• Social inclusion and benefit-sharing mechanisms

This approach has enabled the structuring of an energy community capable of becoming operationally viable from its initial stages, with the capacity to generate its own resources to promote new renewable installations and progressively expand its activities.

In parallel, we worked on the definition of a diversified financing model capable of reducing risks and ensuring project stability through the combination of:

• Public grants, including the IDAE CE IMPLEMENTA programme
• Institutional support and initial technical assistance from the Barcelona City Council
• Cooperative financing through Coop57
• Social capital contributions from members
• Technical and strategic co-financing from the promoting entities

This financing model enabled investments related to:

• Shared self-consumption photovoltaic installations
• Consumption monitoring and energy allocation optimisation software
• Shared electric mobility infrastructure

At the same time, the experience highlighted a key challenge: public support mechanisms must better adapt to the socio-economic conditions of local communities, particularly in neighbourhoods affected by energy vulnerability.

Beyond financing, we also developed a dedicated economic planning tool specifically designed for urban energy communities, aimed at ensuring the technical and economic robustness of the proposed model. This tool has enabled us to simulate different economic scenarios, analyse expected investments and returns, plan new installations, manage financial flows and assess the community’s growth potential in an efficient and strategic manner.

Phase 3: Innovation in demand management and model sustainability

From 2025 onwards, we have been working jointly with CELB to identify new services linked to demand-side management and the strengthening of neighbourhood energy sovereignty.

Key lines of work include:

• Management of electrified thermal consumption
• Development of flexibility and demand management services linked to battery storage integration
• Optimisation of energy and economic savings
• Revision of the business model to incorporate new services and ensure the project’s medium-term sustainability

In parallel, we are also supporting the calculation of energy, environmental and economic savings generated by the initiative, with the aim of ensuring transparency for members and facilitating a better understanding of the benefits associated with participation in the energy community.

Energy at the service of people

For Aiguasol, an energy community is not merely renewable generation infrastructure, but a tool for social transformation. Through our support to CELB, we have contributed to building an energy model that facilitates democratic access to energy, promotes active neighbourhood participation and redistributes generated benefits in a fair manner. At the same time, it fosters social support mechanisms and contributes to addressing energy poverty, thereby strengthening community cohesion and wellbeing.

The energy participation model is based on shares equivalent to 500 Wp, a decision designed to ensure that the highest possible number of residents can access community energy while maximising direct self-consumption and energy efficiency.

This experience has demonstrated that energy communities can be economically viable and that cooperative models are capable of mobilising citizen investment while generating positive social impact. Initiatives such as La Bordeta show that neighbourhoods can become active actors within the energy system, and that community energy can constitute a genuine tool for social transformation, cohesion and urban resilience.

At Aiguasol, we work to ensure that this knowledge, tools and methodologies can be replicated in other territories and communities, thereby contributing to the acceleration of a fair, participatory and inclusive energy transition.