Energy Communities Grant

About this grant

The Energy Communities (Comunidades Energéticas) programme, framed within Spain's Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia (PRTR) and financed by the European Union through NextGenerationEU, promotes the formation and development of energy communities across Spain. Energy communities are voluntary, open, democratically governed legal entities whose members—citizens, SMEs, and local authorities—collectively benefit from shared renewable energy installations and related services located in their proximity. The programme supports activities including renewable energy generation, energy efficiency services (such as building renovations), energy supply, consumption, aggregation and storage, electric vehicle charging services, and other energy services. Communities can use any renewable energy vector, including solar, wind, biomass, biogas, and others, and may engage in sustainable mobility initiatives and demand management. The primary goals are environmental (reducing fossil fuel dependence, cutting emissions, increasing distributed renewable energy), socio-economic (reducing energy costs, combating energy poverty, creating local employment, stimulating local investment), and social (citizen empowerment, community cohesion, democratic governance of energy). The programme specifically includes two sub-programmes: CE OFICINAS (grants for Community Transformation Offices to promote and facilitate the creation of energy communities) and CE IMPLEMENTA (incentives for singular pilot energy community implementation projects). The initiative responds to EU directives on Citizens Energy Communities (Directive 2019/944) and Renewable Energy Communities (Directive 2018/2001), and aligns with Spanish national transposition through Real Decreto-ley 23/2020.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants vary by sub-programme but generally include citizens (natural persons), small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), local authorities (including municipalities), and other legal entities that meet EU criteria for energy community governance. Entities must be based in Spain. The energy community must be structured as an open, non-discriminatory, voluntary participation legal entity effectively controlled by citizens, SMEs, or local authorities. Control by large conventional energy companies is excluded. Any legal form may be used, not only cooperatives, as long as EU eligibility criteria are met. Geographic focus is on Spain, with resources available through autonomous community convocatorias.

How it's scored

No specific evaluation criteria, scoring weightings, or panel composition details are disclosed on this general information page. Detailed evaluation criteria would be found in the specific regulatory calls (convocatorias) for the CE OFICINAS and CE IMPLEMENTA sub-programmes.

Key requirements

• ✓Energy community must be a voluntary, open, democratically governed legal entity
• ✓Members must include citizens, SMEs, and/or local authorities collectively benefiting from shared renewable energy installations in proximity
• ✓Projects must align with EU Directives 2019/944 (Citizens Energy Communities) and 2018/2001 (Renewable Energy Communities) and Spanish Real Decreto-ley 23/2020
• ✓Activities must focus on renewable energy generation, energy efficiency, energy supply/consumption, storage, EV charging, or sustainable mobility

Funder contact

The notice names a programme contact you can speak to before applying.

Frequently asked questions

Who can apply for Energy Communities?

Eligibility covers organisations in ES; community-group, cooperative, sme, local-authority, nonprofit, social-enterprise. See the eligibility criteria above for the full conditions.

Relevant sectors

About this sector

Renewable energy funding covers solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal and bioenergy, from early research to grid-scale deployment. Public money tends to back demonstration, grid connection and access to energy in emerging markets, while procurement notices buy installation, operation and maintenance. Calls often ask for proof of resource assessment, permitting progress and local partners.