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Community energy resources

Community Energy Resources

What was DECA?

The Danube Energy Communities Accelerator (DECA) project aimed to:

  • Test how citizen-led renewable energy actions can be accelerated across the Danube Region.
  • Support development of citizen-led energy systems, which are increasingly recognised as a key driver of a just energy transition in Europe. 
  • Make a meaningful impact on the Danube region’s transition to higher renewable energy use, energy independence, climate neutrality, and prosperity. 

On this page you can find the resources that were produced through the DECA project, including: 

  • Community Energy Project Pipelines Toolkit 
  • Community Energy Capacity Development Programme 
  • Danube Energy Communities Acceleration Strategy

You can use these resources to support community energy action and development in your region. 

These resources were developed and tested by 12 project partners across 9 countries of the Danube programme area: Slovenia, Croatia, Slovakia, Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Hungary, Romania and Serbia.

Read more about DECA

DECA Solutions

Toolkit for Community Energy Initiatives

The Community Energy Project Pipelines Toolkit is a practical, step-by-step guide for advisors, coaches, local authorities and community leaders who support local groups to initiate, plan and implement community energy initiatives. 

It brings together a robust community energy business development methodology and supporting guidance on community engagement, local capacity development, and technical concepts. 

You can use this toolkit to more effectively help community groups move from interest and early ideas into development of credible business plans and bankable projects.  

Use the link below to access the full toolkit and supporting annexes. 

Access the toolkit

Community Energy Capacity Development programme

This Community Energy Capacity Development programme is designed to help communities and local actors to build the knowledge needed to advance community energy initiatives successfully. 

The programme covers:

  • An introduction to community energy 
  • Community energy fundamentals: good governance, business planning, organisational form, citizen and stakeholder engagement, collective financing and navigating legislation.
  • Technical possibilities: renewable power options, heat networks, EV charging, retrofitting, digital tools.
  • Social entrepreneurship skills: leadership, co-creation, advocacy and communication.

The full package includes slides, guidance notes and base training designs/agendas for:

  • A short, accessible Introductory Training session
  • A deeper 1-day training course 

These materials are designed to be used by a wide range of organisations and community actors who are working to help community groups to understand opportunities and create local energy initiatives. 

Use the link below to access all of the capacity development programme materials.

The following videos also provide a short virtual introduction module for each of the topics covered in the training programme. These can be used to help bridge between delivering formal training sessions.

Introduction to Community Energy Training

This introduction explains what community energy is, why it matters, how it links to energy communities, and what the full training program will cover

Governance & Organisational Models

This module covers two essentials for community energy: good governance and organizational models. We will focus on fair decisions, trust, shared benefits, and choosing a suitable legal form

Stakeholder Engagement

This short tutorial explains stakeholder engagement in community energy: why it matters, who to involve, how to map and motivate people, and how to move them toward active participation.

Business Planning

Welcome to the DECA module on business planning for community energy initiatives. In this short tutorial, we look at how a community moves from a good idea to an investable business plan.

Collective Investment

This module explains collective investment for community energy. We will look at financing options, when to use them, how to blend them, and what real examples can teach us.

Navigating Legislation

This module explains how community energy initiatives can navigate relevant legislation. We will look at the main legal areas, the meaning of energy community terms, and one practical case showing how law affects real projects.

Social Entrepreneurship Skills

Welcome to this module on the importance of social entrepreneurship for advancing community energy. We will explore how community energy needs not only technology and finance, but also leadership, collaboration, and influence.

Advocacy & Communication

Welcome to this module on advocacy and communication. These skills help communities explain their goals, build support, and influence the rules that shape community energy initiatives.

Technical Options- Renewable Power

In this module, we look at practical renewable power options for community energy, and then at a key decision: should the energy be shared among members or used only on-site?

Technical Options- District Energy Systems

In this module, we look at a technical concept for community-led small scale district energy systems. District energy means producing heat, hot water or cooling in one central place and delivering it to nearby buildings through pipes.

Technical Options- E-mobility

In this module, we look at e-mobility and EV chargers. The focus is not only on technology, but on how communities can shape e-mobility infrastructure in a fair and locally beneficial way.

Technical Options - Housing Retrofits

In this module, we look at e-mobility and EV chargers. The focus is not only on technology, but on how communities can shape e-mobility infrastructure in a fair and locally beneficial way.
Access the capacity development materials

Danube Community Energy Acceleration Strategy

The DECA project has highlighted how energy communities can deploy renewable energy and support affordability, security, resilience, decarbonisation and a more inclusive energy transition that benefits all citizens. However, current support models for community energy development remain fragmented and under-resourced.

To sustain the learnings and work achieved through the DECA project, the project partners have developed a Danube Community Energy Acceleration Strategy, which brings together project learnings to help guide the scaling of support for community energy across the region. This strategy includes: 

  • Plans for a network of community energy support hubs in 9 countries across the Danube region. 
  • Policy recommendations for municipalities, central governments and EU. 
  • Recommendations for expanding collective investment in community energy. 

The strategy is designed so that it can easily be followed by actors on local, national and regional scales, in different countries. 

Putting this strategy into meaningful action will require leadership from citizens and local civil society organisations, as they are the ones who need to be in front of the community energy action and development. 

To achieve scale, citizens and local civil society organisations need to be backed up with substantive support and shared leadership from municipalities, central governments and the EU. 

The Danube Community Energy Acceleration Strategy shows the way – help us to put the recommendations into action and create a movement of community energy action in SE Europe!

Access strategy materials folder
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