Guidebook ”Building Energy Communities in Greece”: Published by HBS Office Thessaloniki in 2019, a year following the introduction of the first law on energy communities. The publication was targeting citizens interested to set up an energy community, researchers, teachers, support organisations, local authorities etc. It was realized in collaboration with Electra Energy coop, the Technical University of Crete and the Centre for Renewable Sources and Savings (CRES), an independent agency providing technical counseling to the Greek government.
Online event “Energy Democracy under the microscope”: The event was organized in 2021 by the Energy Democracy Dialogues; an initiative that aims to serve as an open platform where energy experts, policymakers, businesses, politicians, academicians, civil society representatives and citizens meet and debate on the critical issue of Energy Democracy. This two-day online discussion was supported by HBS Offices in Thessaloniki, Belgrade, Sarajevo among other organisations. On the 2nd day of the event representatives from community energy initiatives and support organisations active in Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Greece, Croatia, Kosovo, Albania, Romania, Montenegro, Serbia discussed the challenges for the movement in their respective countries and reflected on its future prospects.
Research project “Mapping the social impact of Energy Communities”: The project consists of a series of activities with the goal to deepen the understanding of the social impacts of energy communities in Greece and abroad as well as the multiple benefits assessing those holds for a diverse spectrum of actors. The project is being implemented by Electra Energy coop and REScoop.eu in partnership with the HBS Office Thessaloniki. The aim of the project is twofold; on the one hand to build the capacity of energy communities to understand and self-assess their social impact and on the other hand to inform policymakers and relevant stakeholders of their impact and to inform advocacy efforts for a more favorable legal framework.
Publication “Power to the people”: Published by HBS Office Warsaw and CoopTech Hub in 2023, the report presents key elements of both the legal framework and lessons learnt from the community energy initiative’s actions in Greece, Serbia, Poland, and Bulgaria. The paper was precedented by a networking and knowledge sharing workshop that was organized by HBS Offices Warsaw, Belgrade, Thessaloniki with the support of the Office in Tirana, in the context of the Community Energy Spring Gathering organized by REScoop.eu and Electra Energy coop in Athens (2023).
Publication “Energy cooperatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina”: Published by HBS Office Sarajevo and the Regional Education and Information Center for Sustainable Development in South-East Europe (REIC) in 2016. The aim of this Manual is to point out the basics of the principle of cooperatives and how the concept of energy cooperatives can be used for local economic development using local renewable energy sources, and to show successful examples from the EU and the region in order to encourage the development of similar projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Publication “Citizen energy in the region: Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina”: A key step towards the successful development of citizen energy is the creation of a stimulating legislative framework that supports citizen participation and facilitates the development of sustainable energy infrastructure. In this regard, this paper published by the HBS Office in Sarajevo in 2023, provides useful guidelines for improving the legal framework in order to support the growth of civil energy in the region.
Crowdfunding campaign "Support the Prijatelj Prirode": Launching the first-ever renewables crowdfunding campaign in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2018 was implemented by the Regional Education and Information Center for Sustainable Development in South-East Europe (REIC) with the support of the HBS Office in Sarajevo. The campaign aimed in the purchase and installation of solar hot water panels at mental health asylum Drin in Fojnica. It is considered a pilot project to demonstrate that it is possible to finance citizen energy projects in BiH, and to pave the way for more such initiatives in the future.
Research study "What can you do if you have no money? Energy efficient building renovations for municipalities and condominiums": This project, implemented by the Solidarity Economy Centre and supported by the Prague office, served to generate knowledge on the community solutions to housing and energy through desktop research, qualitative interviewing, and stakeholder workshops. The overall aim was to explore and promote possibilities of community-led energy efficient renovations as a solution to the energy and housing crisis in Hungary.
A study trip to Austria for the members of the Czech organization UKEN (The Community Energy Union) was co-organized by Hnuti DUHA - Friends of the Earth Czech Republic in cooperation with hbs Prague office. The study trip consisted of visiting two different energy communities - Göttweigblick EEG and Kamptalenergie EEG with around 420 members altogether and the total capacity of 1,2 GWh sourced from a biogas station, solar panels, and hydropower plants. After the field visit, a discussion between the representatives of the Austrian energy communities and UKEN members took place, for knowledge exchange and experience sharing.