- RECs, CECs and Energy Communities under Law no. 4513/2018 can be included in: the development law as a distinct form of cooperative organization; the Law on Social Cooperative Enterprises; as well as in other programs funded by national or European resources, in accordance with state aid rules.
- The Ministry of Environment and Energy may use EU funds and National Development Program resources to support the implementation of virtual net-metering by RECs by launching programs for the installation of their photovoltaic plants and storage systems.
- The Regional Operational Programs for the period 2021-2027 may foresee resources for Energy Community projects.
- Bank loans constitute another source of funding for Energy Community projects. However, they are extremely difficult or even impossible to obtain for virtual net-metering projects; therefore, local communities that depend on these resources to support their projects are typically deprived of this possibility.
- To date, no distinct funding instrument exists for Energy Communities, such as a development fund.
Lignite Regions
| Sources of funding for energy communities in lignite regions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fund | Program | Period | Total Budget (million €) | EnCom budget (million €) |
| Green Fund |
Emission allowances auction revenues |
2018 | 31,4 | 3,5 |
| 2019 | 30,2 | 0 | ||
| 2020 | 5 | - | ||
| 2021 | 45 | - | ||
| 2022 | 14,9 | - | ||
| By 2030 | - | |||
| Just Transition Fund |
Just Development Transition Program 2021 - 2027 |
2021 - 2027 | 1406 | 132,5 |
Especially in the lignite areas, Energy Communities have access to additional national and European resources in the context of the Just Transition.
Greenhouse gas emissions auctioning revenues: national resources managed by the Green Fund, part of which is directed to support Energy Communities in lignite areas, in the context of the lignite phase-out program.
Just Development Transition Program (PDAM) 2021 – 2027: European resources channeled via the European Just Transition Fund (JTF). The beneficiaries of the program include Energy Communities with regard to projects involving energy efficiency; self-production from RES; the installation of heat pumps for heating/cooling; the construction of residual biomass plants; and the construction of small biogas plants utilizing livestock and agricultural residues.