The country’s first citizen energy community was founded on 18 August 2020 under the name “Energifællesskab Avedøre” (Energy Community Avedøre) A.M.B.A. The energy community is a model drawn from a new EU directive that provides citizens with new opportunities to participate actively in a climate-friendly transition of the energy supply. The founders are from the local area Avedøre in Hvidovre Municipality. The founders are Hvidovre Municipality, Hvidovre Gymnasium, Avedøre Landsbylaug, Avedøre District Heating A.M.B.A., Filmbyen and EBO Consult A/S. The energy community will cover an area of approx. 2 km2, approx. 6,000 citizens, a number of institutions and companies.

The country’s first citizens’ energy community was founded on 18 August 2020 under the name Energy Community Avedøre A.M.B.A. and is based in Hvidovre Municipality. The energy community is a model drawn from a new EU directive that provides citizens with new opportunities to participate actively in a climate-friendly transition of the energy supply in the EU.

“Although the directive will not be incorporated into Danish legislation until 31 December 2020 at the latest, we would like to be ahead of the directive’s possibilities for citizens to be actively involved in energy communities, where, among other things, energy exchanges between the participating members of the community are possible”, says Johannes Pleidrup of the Energifællesskab Avedøre (Avedøre Energy Community) A.M.B.A.

The citizens’ energy community is part of a development plan called “Avedøre Green City”, where a number of local stakeholders are active because they want to focus on the United Nations’ 17 sustainable development goals. Sustainable energy has been identified as one of the important sustainable development goals, leading to the establishment of the energy community.

The founders come from very different places in the Avedøre local area in Hvidovre Municipality. The founders are Hvidovre Municipality, Hvidovre Gymnasium, Avedøre Landsbylaug, Avedøre District Heating A.M.B.A., Filmbyen and EBO Consult A/S. The energy community is open to other actors in Avedøre so that the energy community will cover an area of about 2 km2, about 6,000 citizens, a number of institutions and companies.

With the creation of the energy community, energy activities such as the establishment of charging stations and the setting up of solar cells will be launched. The idea is that the energy consumers in the area should “harvest” the energy they themselves produce in the area and that this is done in accordance with the principles set out in the EU Directive. For the participants, it is important that these are so-called self-sustaining energy activities, where, for example, the price of electricity is aligned with actual local costs and where surpluses in the community are a basis for the development of community activities such as the setting up of new solar cells or charging stations.

The energy community and Hvidovre Municipality will work closely together on the development of the ‘close to home’ energy activities so that the visions of achieving the UN’s sustainable development goal of sustainable energy for the whole municipality are carried out in a reciprocal exchange of experience with the energy community’s activities.

At the inaugural meeting, a Board of Directors was elected with representatives from Hvidovre Municipality, Hvidovre Gymnasium, Avedøre District Heating A.M.B.A., Filmbyen and Avedøre Landsbylaug.

Chairman Johannes Pleidrup concludes “We hope that by setting up the energy community we will show that the municipality, the citizens, the institutions, a utility company and private companies can jointly carry out an important task with a local sustainable energy supply while at the same time cementing the importance of local anchoring of these activities”.

EBO Consult A/S was appointed as secretariat and administrator for the energy community.