Road to 9 new Renewable Energy Communities
About this good practice
FMI S.r.l. is the in-house company of 15 Municipalities near Forlì, in Emilia-Romagna Region. Among these, 9 municipalities (Forlì, Bertinoro, Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole, Forlimpopoli, Meldola, Predappio, Santa Sofia, Tredozio and Dovadola) have entrusted FMI Srl to manage policies for the energy transition.
Each of the 9 Municipalities have created a REC, involving SMEs,local authorities and citizens with the aim of producing, sharing and consuming renewable energy and contributing to the energy transition.
Municipality of Bertinoro has identified 19 potential areas where photovoltaic systems could be installed to be included in the availability of the REC «CER COMUNE DI BERTINORO»: 5 relating to the Forlì via Balzella substation and 14 to that of Bertinoro Panighina. The surfaces for the REC «CER COMUNE DI BERTINORO» amount to approximately 45,560 m2 and will overall allow the installation of 4,193.35 kWp for an estimated annual production of approximately 4,653,294 kWh.
The consumer PODs identified by the founding members that could be included in the REC for energy sharing amount to a total of 18 users. REC is established and plant installation is ongoing.
The estimated consumption of the users who participated in the first proposal phase of the REC amounts to approximately 271,111 kWh.
Similarly, the same procedures and approach are ongoing to establish the remaining 8 REC.
Resources needed
6/8 people responsible for the establishment of the RECs in the different phases financed with RP-ERDF 2021-2027. The resources necessary to cover the costs of establishment (administrative consultancy, SH participation activities, legal and feasibility studies) amount to approximately 50,000 euros.
Evidence of success
The importance of these initiatives was in the concrete involvement of 50 people and citizens who participated since the very beginning in the setting – up of REC(s), supported also by the Orders of Architects, Industrial Experts, Graduated agricultural technicians and agrotechnicians. The Emilia-Romagna Region, which financed the project to establish the Energy Community, was involved in the event together with other technical bodies such as ENEA and RSE.
Potential for learning or transfer
The road to the 9 new Renewable Energy Communities supported by FMI Srl is fully replicable, as every municipality can start similar initiatives by following the same steps and involving its citizens, SMEs and local actors.
For example, the path taken by the Municipality of Bertinoro, as well as the meetings organized with citizens to talk about the project and the dialogue with FMI Srl, AUSL Romagna and ACER, can be a useful starting point for other municipalities and represent a virtuous model.
Likewise, the energy communities that are being created in Forlì, Castrocaro Terme and Terra del Sole, Forlimpopoli, Meldola, Predappio, Santa Sofia, Tredozio and Dovadola represent a model to follow. The choice to appoint a single common entity (FMI srl) for the management of these projects makes it possible to reduce costs by exploiting economies of scale and to overcome critical issues more easily.
Further information
Good practice owner
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