Climate change, the abandonment of fossil fuels and the increasing need to switch to renewable energy sources have created a micro-level vacuum in energy production. It can be filled with changes from below, for which the first prerequisite is the awareness that the energy transition is inevitable.
Today, individual households or several of them united in cooperatives have the possibility of creating some kind of mini electricity producer. This concept, known as citizen energy, is becoming a growing trend in the world, and in recent years it has also appeared in the region. Although there is still talk about minimal producers, the very appearance of this idea in the Balkans raises awareness of the necessity of switching to renewable energy sources and contributing to this process at every level - starting with the civil one.
DECENTRALIZATION OF PRODUCTION
Citizen energy represents a specific way of producing electricity and refers to energy that is produced, distributed or managed by citizens themselves, communities, local groups or cooperatives, instead of large corporations and state producers. This concept includes various forms of energy, but refers exclusively to renewable sources such as solar, wind, hydropower or biomass. In essence, citizen energy enables people to actively participate in the energy transition towards sustainable and renewable energy sources.
It is precisely the main goals of citizen energy that give a good picture of the concept itself - decentralization of production, sustainable and renewable energy, local control and community economy. This idea is still relatively young. However, it appeared at the right time, during the energy transition, and offers concrete solutions that can benefit different layers of society, not only in energy domains, but also in terms of economy and environment.
The essence of citizen energy is the decentralization and democratization of electricity production. The first principle enables production at all levels, and not the exclusive monopoly of state producers and large private companies, while democratization is reflected in the gathering of people into communities that will fight for their conditions on the energy market in the future.
Decentralization will make it possible to reduce dependence on large, centralized energy companies and infrastructures, but also to create smaller, more resistant systems to interruptions in supply, and consequently increase the energy security of local communities. It is this idea of starting from the micro level, local, that also creates economic opportunities for local communities. Local energy production can reduce costs for households and businesses by keeping money within the community and supporting the local economy.
On the other hand, the principle of democratization enables citizens and local communities to take control of their energy resources, increasing their autonomy and engagement. In addition, the participation of individuals in energy projects encourages greater awareness of the energy transition.
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE IN PRACTICE?
As the portal BalkanGreenEnergy writes, civic energy appears through two basic models. The first is the buyer-producer model, and the second is the model of energy communities.
The first implies that every individual, business entity, institution or local community can produce energy for its own needs, and store any excess for future use or hand it over to the system under predetermined conditions. On the other hand, the model of energy communities allows different actors to jointly, united in different combinations, be able to produce energy for their own needs, store it, exchange it, distribute it, sell it or buy it, that is, actively participate in the market.
Instead of purchasing electricity exclusively from large producers, primarily state-owned ones that continue to base production on fossil fuels, local communities could produce part of the electricity themselves. Several people, united and gathered around the same goal, can join together and start a mini-power plant based on renewable energy sources. The system is not difficult to imagine, but it is not easy to implement in practice. There are many problems, starting from legal regulations, bureaucracy, through significant investments, to the very possible resistance of large producers, who would not benefit from mass decentralization in any way.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITIES
The first examples of civil energy began to appear in several Balkan countries - Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia. Among them is Serbia. We currently have two examples of civic energy, both registered as cooperatives. These are Elektropionir and Sunčani krovovi.
Jelena Nikolić from the Elektropionir cooperative tells "Vreme" that the key idea of civic energy is to encourage every average resident to be an active participant in the energy transition, because, as she adds, the unity of citizens possesses unstoppable energy. As he explains, today's monopoly of large producers from which everyone receives electricity (from dirty sources), by switching to renewable sources, it can be replaced by a new monopoly of one and the same structure, or else by a decentralized system in which production belongs to the citizens, who through unity fight for better conditions on the energy market.
When asked if this type of association is met with objections from monopolistic producers of electricity, the interlocutor says that for now they have no problems because they are in the beginning and do not pose any threat. He adds that reactions will be seen only when the volume of production increases.
However, he explains that they do not have any facilities regarding the bureaucratic procedure itself and obtaining work permits. For now, they operate in accordance with the general law on cooperatives, which includes all types of cooperatives, such as agricultural cooperatives. There, as he says, they found a space for action, until the law recognizes them as civil energy producers.
By adopting new directives, the European Union recognized the concept of citizen energy. Serbia, as a candidate country for EU membership, is obliged to adapt its legislation to the directives, which has been done, but in the matter of civil energy, it was limited only to the definition of the term.
Jelena Nikolić believes that the future of civic energy lies in the strength of the unity of people gathered around this goal. As an example, he cites a civic cooperative in Spain that gathers a large number of people and that managed to fight for its conditions on the market. He adds that their power plants are small, because they are pioneers, but that this is a big step. As he says, "it is necessary to unite people, build trust, but also create individual stories that are there to inspire and show that it is possible".
ENERGY POVERTY
Citizen energy can play a key role in reducing energy poverty by providing access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy for all. Energy poverty, a condition in which households do not have access to the energy necessary for basic life needs, is becoming a growing problem, not only in Serbia, but throughout the world. The current mechanisms in our country do not solve the core of the problem and mostly bypass the poorest layers of society, which remain trapped in energy poverty.
Through local production, cost reduction, lower prices, independence from large producers, access to subsidies, but also strengthening awareness of this problem, civic energy can provide the necessary energy to the most vulnerable sections of society in communities.
Jelena Nikolić says that changes in legislation and clear regulation of civil energy could play a significant role in solving the problem of energy poverty. For now, the energy produced in Serbia cannot be shared, but is exclusively sold. However, as he explains, the changes could enable the inclusion of energy-dangerous customers, to whom part of the energy would be handed over.
To what extent it will take root depends on several factors, but at the end of the day, the key is human - whether there will be enough unity of individuals to fight for it.
