UNEF is organising the III Energy Communities Summit in collaboration with the Regional Government of Andalusia.
Once again, UNEF is bringing together key stakeholders to provide a forum for discussing the progress of energy communities, as well as the needs and challenges identified in their development.
Energy communities are at a pivotal moment in Spain. With more than 800 initiatives currently underway and the recent publication of Royal Decree-Law 7/2026, new opportunities are emerging for these projects, including the long-awaited Royal Decree on energy communities, greater involvement of local authorities, and new funding opportunities.
The III Energy Communities Summit, organized in collaboration with the Andalusian Energy Agency within the framework of the European REC4EU project, will bring together the sector's leading stakeholders to address the challenges of this new stage, focusing on regulation, financing, and the professionalisation of projects. Through this event, we continue to strengthen a collaborative ecosystem that will help consolidate this model across the country.
The Summit will feature a series of panel discussions covering topics such as the regulatory and strategic framework, project scaling, ensuring local benefits, the role of energy communities as a key driver for other technologies—including energy storage—financing, and other high-value topics. The aim is to create a space for knowledge sharing and learning from a wide range of projects that go beyond self-consumption.
At UNEF, we see energy communities as a key pillar of the energy transition, providing not only significant technical value but also clear social benefits. For this reason, we believe it is essential to foster dialogue, develop shared diagnoses, and promote proposals to support their continued growth.
The Summit will take place in Seville on Wednesday, 30 September, at the Marqués de Contadero venue.
Agenda
09:00h – 09:30h Institutional Opening
09:35h – 10:20h How are Energy Communities developing in Spain? Is the regulatory and strategic framework working?
There is still a great deal of uncertainty and lack of knowledge surrounding energy communities. It is therefore essential to understand how energy communities are developing, as well as their barriers and opportunities. Both the regulatory and strategic frameworks are fundamental to these types of projects. This session will analyse the impact of the publication of Royal Decree-Law 7/2026 and the forthcoming Royal Decree on Energy Communities, as well as other instruments promoted by public administrations at national, regional and local level, which offer significant added value to local territories.
Moderator: Javier Ramajo Sotomayor, Eldiario.es
10:25h – 10:40h Presentation of the ECODES Report: Diagnosis of Energy Communities in Spain
Presentation of ECODES' Energía Común report, which provides an overview of the number of energy communities in Spain.
10:45h – 11:15h Coffee Break
11:20h – 12:05h How can we engage sectors beyond energy? Different approaches to energy communities: industry, urban, agricultural and irrigation communities
The range of projects encompassed by energy communities is very broad, covering all types of sectors and territories. Each type of project presents its own opportunities, but also its own challenges. In addition, energy communities are a key mechanism for engaging with non-energy sectors. But how can we make this happen in practice?
Moderator: Raúl Limón Gallardo, El País
12:10h – 12:55h How can we professionalise and scale up energy communities? How can projects become more robust and generate their own resources?
Many energy communities have already been established and now need and want to grow and professionalise their operations. However, many questions arise as to how to achieve this. How can projects be made more robust and generate their own resources? How can energy communities expand the technical activities they carry out? How can they increase their membership and improve their management?
Moderator: Joan Herrera, Partner, Samsø
13:00h – 13:45h Energy Communities in Europe: Where are these projects heading?
Energy communities are broad-ranging projects involving diverse technological and social contexts. It is therefore essential to look towards innovation in this field and understand how these projects are developing across Europe.
13:45h – 15:15h Networking Lunch
15:15h – 16:00h How can energy communities ensure benefits reach local territories? What role are local authorities and public administrations playing?
Following the publication of Royal Decree-Law 7/2026, it has become clear that energy communities are an essential tool for delivering benefits to local territories, in line with the proposed Social and Environmental Excellence Standard. In addition, local councils are a fundamental part of energy communities, helping to strengthen these types of projects. Have the amendments introduced by Royal Decree-Law 7/2026 regarding the participation of local councils and local authorities brought about a change? What challenges remain? What models are we seeing?
Moderator: Joaquín Villar, Dpto. de Internacionalización, Innovación y Proyectos Singulares, AAE
16:00h – 16:45h Energy communities as the cornerstone of the distributed energy ecosystem: self-consumption, storage, shared and electric mobility, and energy efficiency
Energy communities are at the forefront of electrification. How can we ensure that energy communities develop different types of activities beyond self-consumption? How can we promote energy storage systems, electric mobility and energy-efficiency measures within these projects? Are Energy Saving Certificates (CAEs) useful tools for their participation? Which markets could energy communities participate in? How can energy communities develop flexibility projects?
Moderator: Paula Santos, Director of Energy Communities, UNEF
16:45h – 17:30h What financing mechanisms for energy communities are emerging?
One of the main challenges facing energy communities is the lack of financing mechanisms. How can we finance energy communities beyond grants and subsidies? Energy Saving Certificates (CAEs), public financing institutions, partnership agreements with banks, PPAs…?
Moderator: Maria José Colinet, Director of Financing and Promotion of Energy Initiatives, Andalusian Energy Agency
17:30h – 17:50h Closing Session
Registration Fees
UNEF Members: €80 + VAT
Non-members: €130 + VAT
Special Offer
Buy 4 tickets and pay for only 3.
If you represent an Energy Community (whether formally established or not), please contact us directly at comunidadesenergeticas@unef.es.
Reserve your place using the registration form below!
Address: Paseo Alcalde Marqués de Contadero s/n, 41001 Seville
Pedestrian access: There are two pedestrian access points to reach the venue from Paseo Colón. Here reference images.
