Recently there is increasing buzz around the term 'energy community', a sometimes difficult concept to grasp due to varying definitions in European regulations and the use of technical language surrounding it. Energy Communities in the European context are legal entities that are active in the energy market. The new EU regulations aim to acknowledge the importance of previous European experiences and ensure a favorable set in all EU countries. 

The final purpose of all energy communities in the European context is to provide environmental, economic, and social community benefits for their shareholders, members, and/or the local areas where they operate, rather than financial profits. Ownership is one of the key aspects touched upon in the regulations and ensures participation and effective control by shareholders or members.

An ICLEI supported project on community energy, the DECIDE Project, has developed three factsheets to build understanding on what energy communities are and the benefits they provide to communities and local governments. Other resources that have been developed, such as the Tool Cards, designed to provide users with different practical approaches on the topic.

Two of the tool cards are games. The first, an educational board game that allows kids to explore functions of energy systems and renewable energy sources. The other game aims to gather individual opinions about energy communities and collective energy actions and it is meant to be played by potential members.

Another tool can help to define the strategies of an energy project through the use of stakeholder mapping. This tool is perfect to identify the influential players in the field and to brainstorm ways to engage with each. The last tool helps explain new initiatives in a catchy and concise manner. As communicating different energy projects to stakeholders is key to building a successful energy project, this tool is forseen to be useful for representatives of energy projects.

The energy community factsheets and tool cards are available to read and download in the DECIDE Knowledge Hub.