At the end of 2024, European cities and regions were invited to submit their sustainable development solutions. These applications were evaluated based on their local impact, participatory and integrated approaches as well as the potential to be transferred to other European cities.
This article zooms in on five of the 116 newly selected URBACT Good Practices. These city initiatives provide valuable insights into practical and replicable solutions for meeting ambitious climate goals and ensuring community-led, equitable energy access. Learn more about how local governments, diverse stakeholders and communities in Europe’s cities are already working together to make energy efficiency a reality, while reducing emissions and tackling energy poverty.
Community-owned energy initiatives
Energy communities have huge potential when it comes to achieving more secure, affordable and cleaner energy systems across Europe. Let’s see how two cities support local communities to reduce energy poverty and ensure better energy efficiency, lower bills, reduced energy poverty and more employment opportunities in green industries.
#1 – Caldes de Montbui (ES)
La CEL de Caldes has set up 18 photovoltaic installations that are shared among 300 families in the metropolitan area of Barcelona. This initiative enables citizens to produce, manage and consume renewable energy, and moreover, take collective ‘ownership’ of the photovoltaic infrastructure. By harnessing solar energy and promoting self-consumption, the project empowers residents while reducing dependency on external energy providers.
The community-based approach not only increases accessibility and energy autonomy, but also fosters the local economy and fights against energy poverty. For context, La CEL de Caldes is part of the local Climate Action Plan. A Climate Action Office, active since 2020, has been fundamental for raising awareness about energy efficiency and has become a catalyst for private installations that have increased exponentially in number and power: now, 12% of the total electricity needed in the town is being produced locally and sustainably.
#2 – Hrastnik (SI)
The Solar School Energy Community is Slovenia’s first cooperative-developed self-consumption solar power initiative, supplying 16 households, three public buildings and two businesses. The project involves the installation of solar panels on school buildings, allowing students, teachers and local stakeholders to directly benefit from renewable energy production. The residents are actively contributing to the production of renewable energy – no longer mere energy ‘consumers’, but ‘prosumers’.
This initiative has introduced a new model of public-commons partnership: involving a local association, the municipality, but also the local community. In fact, a cooperative manages the installation of a communal self-consumption solar power plan ensuring that the financial and environmental benefits of solar energy remain within the community. Today, a 300-kW solar power plant reduces reliance on fossil fuels, encouraging other municipalities seeking to foster local energy resilience.
What’s the takeaway for your city?
On the one hand, La CEL de Caldes shows how an energy community can provide different modalities to cater to different target and socio-economic groups, bringing diversified energy solutions to the local level. On the other hand, the Green Hrastnik Energy cooperative is a pioneering model for democratic governance of common goods, such as energy, to make sure no one is left behind.
Cities can replicate these models by fostering partnerships between local governments, cooperatives and educational institutions, ensuring widespread community engagement in renewable energy solutions.
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Pioneering public energy efficiency
Buildings account for 40% of the EU’s energy consumption and 36% of greenhouse gas emissions, yet 75% of the building stock remains energy inefficient. Improving the energy performance of buildings is essential for ensuring a sustainable, equitable and resilient future for European cities. Specifically, Bucharest (RO) and Karlovac (HR) have each adopted an integrated approach stimulating job growth, enhancing the quality of education and curricula and promoting community engagement.
#3 –Bucharest (RO)
Transforming a school in Bucharest into a near-zero emissions building is one example of how a city can bring about energy solutions. A school in District 6 has been retrofitted with advanced energy efficiency measures, including improved insulation, energy-efficient heating systems and solar panel installations.
The initiative also includes an educational programme for all students, encompassing interactive training sessions, teaching the importance of efficient resource use, and including digital technologies into school curricula. The project significantly reduces energy consumption and CO₂ emissions with an integrated urban development approach. Since the transformed public buildings are also integrated into local energy communities, the surrounding districts are able to reduce carbon emissions and become ‘Positive Energy Districts’.
In November 2024, Bucharest hosted an EU City Lab organised by URBACT and the European Urban Initiative (EUI). The event welcomed participants from 11 EU Member States, contextualising energy funding in Europe and showcasing funding frameworks, sources and tools available.
#4 – Karlovac (HR)
SolariKA involves the installation of solar power plants in educational institutions through 14 pilot projects. The project is one of the milestones of the recently adopted Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) for the city, which sets targets to reduce energy consumption, CO₂ emissions by more than 40% by 2030.
This initiative enables energy-efficient renovations in multi-apartment buildings and public institutions, reducing electricity costs and contributing to climate goals. This practice mainly targets property owners, users of buildings where renewable energy is being installed and the city, which manages the budget and the costs of institutions.
What’s the takeaway for your city?
As shown in Bucharest and Karlovac, retrofitting schools and public buildings with energy-efficient technologies and solar power can significantly lower energy costs and emissions.
Among the takeaways from the two featured practices, Bucharest offers a multi-stakeholder approach that includes educational institutions, residents, NGOs, teachers, students, local officials, communication experts and private sector practitioners. By integrating solar energy solutions into public infrastructure, Karlovac showcases a scalable and cost-effective model for cities looking to improve energy efficiency in municipal buildings. Karlovac has also shown how political will and long-term strategic planning can drive sustainable development and the energy transition.
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An inclusive energy transition
The adoption of solar panels is a win for clean energy and household savings, but it can also cause unintended consequences in cities by driving when traditional grid operators lose customers and raise prices to compensate, impacting those most vulnerable. Therefore, it is crucial that the energy transition is inclusive and does not deepen existing inequalities. For Getafe, addressing energy poverty required an integrated approach that combines cutting-edge digital technologies, social policies, energy efficiency measures and active community engagement.
#5 – Getafe (ES)
The Energy Poverty Intelligence Unit (EPIU) tackles energy poverty through data-driven policy solutions using machine learning and AI to uncover the real extent of energy poverty. The EPIU provides Tailor-Made Solutions to improve energy efficiency ranging from simple measures to complex building renovations, catering to the specific needs of different groups.
By combining technological innovation with active community participation and accompaniment, Getafe ensures that vulnerable populations receive support in reducing their energy bills and improving living conditions. The initiative also integrates cross-sectoral collaboration involving a ministerial Institute, the region, a bank, two local NGOs and a private company serving as an advisor.
What’s the takeaway for your city?
The EPIU of Getafe is a scalable practice that addresses energy poverty through an integrated approach that combines cutting-edge digital technologies, social policies, energy efficiency measures and active community engagement.
Cities can adopt similar strategies by digitalisation efforts for leveraging data to identify vulnerable households and implement targeted interventions that improve energy access and tackle energy poverty for those who need it the most.
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Discover more in the URBACT Good Practice database
The Good Practices highlighted above prove that cities play a crucial role in the energy transition. Whether through community-driven initiatives, public building retrofits, or inclusive and data-driven policies tackling energy poverty, these solutions offer practical models for urban leaders.
Visit the URBACT Good Practices database and explore how other cities are successfully implementing strategies and solutions in a host of areas: from energy efficiency to mobility, youth engagement, climate action, and more. Keep in mind, all URBACT Good Practices have been selected based on an expert assessment of each practice: its local impact, degree of relevant participatory and integrated approaches as well as its potential transfer to other European cities.
The people behind the 116 Good Practices selected in 2024 will be at the URBACT City Festival in Wrocław (PL) from 8-10 April 2025. Registration might be closed, but keep an eye on URBACT channels for updates on the event as well as updates on the next call for Transfer Networks!
