Skip to main content
European Sustainable Energy Week
  • News blog
  • 6 January 2025
  • European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency
  • 4 min read

Local Energy Action Award: celebrating community-driven energy solutions

Find inspiration from previous years’ Local Energy Action Award finalists who have demonstrated how local efforts can drive meaningful change in the clean energy transition.

Balearic Islands’ Self-Consumption Collective

The European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) Awards recognise individuals and projects driving Europe’s clean energy transition. These Awards shine a spotlight on the people and actions in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors in three different categories: Innovation, Local Energy Action and Woman in Energy

The 19th edition of the EUSEW Awards will celebrate these achievements during the Awards Ceremony on 10 June 2025 in Brussels. 

The Local Energy Action Award honours projects that demonstrate the power of local engagement in creating sustainable energy solutions. These projects, driven by groups of citizens, consumers, municipalities, or other stakeholders, aim to reduce energy consumption, promote the use of renewables, and empower citizens to take an active role in the energy transition. This award celebrates those who have taken on the challenge of transforming their communities. 

Apply now

The call for applications is open until 30 January 2025.

Learn from our previous finalists 

These EUSEW Local Energy Action Award finalists from the past editions show how small-scale efforts can lead to big impacts in driving the clean energy transition. See if you can identify your own work among the projects showcased. 

ComAct (2022)

ComAct is an EU-funded project that addresses energy poverty in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union republics. The project improves energy efficiency in multi-family apartment buildings across five countries: Ukraine, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and North Macedonia. Through these energy-efficiency improvements, ComAct is positively impacting over 10,000 consumers, helping to lift households out of energy poverty. The initiative focuses on empowering communities to reduce energy costs, improve living conditions, and increase energy access. 

‘Most of the building stock is not energy efficient. We need to approach energy poverty systemically and motivate homeowners to be responsible in the maintenance and renovation of the building. We have developed a methodology to identify energy poor households and provide tools to engage the community in the project, offer financial support, advice and technical knowledge on how to save energy through retrofitting and behavioural change.’ Elena Milanovska, Associate Director - Housing Systems HFH EME (Europe, Middle East) 

 

Balearic Islands’ Self-Consumption Collective (2023)

 

The Balearic Islands Self-Consumption Collective is a network of renewable energy projects across the islands of Spain, bringing affordable, clean energy to local communities. This project uses public infrastructure, such as parking lots and rooftops, to install solar panels, which are then used to sell electricity to local households at below-market rates. Over 1,500 households benefit from this initiative. Through these projects, communities can generate enough renewable energy for everyday needs, reducing electricity bills by up to EUR 200 annually.  

‘We are bringing green, local, and cheap energy to every municipality in the archipelago. With a network of self-consumption projects, we are addressing the need to deploy renewable energy while making it affordable to those most in need.’ says Ferran Rosa Gaspar, Managing Director of the Balearic Energy Institute.

In addition to providing affordable sustainable energy, the collective also holds public talks and educational events to help locals get involved in the green transition and learn about renewable energy. 

Funded partly by NextGenerationEU, this model puts forward the potential of public infrastructure to produce renewable energy and support vulnerable populations. The success of the Balearic Islands’ collective is a great example for other communities in Spain and beyond, contributing to the EU’s renewable energy goals and the European Green Deal and REPowerEU Plan.

De Energiecentrale (2024)

De Energiecentrale, based in Ghent, Belgium, is a project dedicated to making energy renovations more accessible for homeowners. Through its one-stop-shop model, it has helped over 17,000 households invest EUR 58 million in energy renovations, leading to a reduction of 5,800 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. The project provides free, personalised renovation guidance and helps residents navigate the technical, financial, and administrative challenges often involved in energy renovations. The Check Je Huis tool has already supported over 163,000 residents in making energy-saving improvements. 

Many citizens want to renovate but don’t know where to start, and are afraid of the costs. We offer them customised advice, but also assistance in finding the right contractors, subsidies, loans. In this way, we make renovating easier and more affordable,’ explains David Cis, coordinator of De Energiecentrale.

Feeling inspired? Apply now!

Are you leading an initiative that’s making an impact on your community’s energy use? Applying for the EUSEW Awards in the Local Energy Action category is an excellent opportunity to showcase the efforts of those working towards a sustainable energy future. By submitting an application, you will highlight your achievements, inspire others to take action, and create valuable connections across the European energy sector.  

Applications for the EUSEW Local Energy Action Award are open until 30 January 2025.

Apply now

Learn more about the Awards, read the guidelines and check out the previous years’ finalists in all three categories to find out more. 

Details