The Sofia Energy Agency – SOFENA, a partner of the DE-RISK project, presented a research paper titled “Energy Communities as Energy Market Players” during the Annual Energy Forum 2025, organized by the Federation of Scientific and Technical Unions in Bulgaria (NTSEB). The event took place in Varna from 24 to 27 June 2025 and brought together leading experts, researchers, and policymakers to discuss the future of energy systems in Europe.
Developed within the framework of the DE-RISK project, funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe programme (Grant Agreement No. 101075515), the paper explores the evolving role of energy communities (ECs) as active market participants in local flexibility markets (LFMs) across France, Greece, Spain, Bulgaria, and Romania.
Understanding Energy Communities and Flexibility Markets
The research provides a comparative analysis of how different European countries are advancing in integrating energy communities into local flexibility mechanisms. While France, Greece, and Spain have already established strong frameworks supporting citizen participation and renewable energy integration, Bulgaria and Romania are still in the early stages of development, facing challenges related to regulatory complexity, administrative barriers, and limited digital infrastructure.
The article emphasizes that energy communities can play a critical role in balancing supply and demand, enhancing grid stability, and contributing to a more resilient, decentralized, and citizen-driven energy system. By empowering local actors, ECs contribute to both the democratization of energy markets and the acceleration of Europe’s green transition.
Recommendations for a More Inclusive Energy Transition
The study outlines a set of policy and structural recommendations aimed at fostering the growth of ECs and LFMs across Europe. These include:
- Accelerating digitalization and the rollout of smart meters;
- Clarifying national regulatory frameworks to encourage investment and participation;
- Promoting aggregator-friendly policies to enable third-party service providers; and
- Encouraging citizen inclusion, particularly in rural and remote regions.
The findings demonstrate that while frontrunners such as France, Spain, and Greece offer replicable models, each country must adopt context-specific strategies tailored to its unique market, social, and institutional conditions.
Contribution to the DE-RISK Mission
This publication highlights SOFENA’s contribution to the DE-RISK project’s objective of supporting data-driven, flexible, and community-based solutions for Europe’s energy transition. By analysing national approaches to energy communities and flexibility markets, the research provides valuable insights to inform policy design, stakeholder collaboration, and technical implementation in DE-RISK pilot regions and beyond.
The full article is published in the Energy Forum 2025 Proceedings by the Federation of Scientific and Technical Unions in Bulgaria, accessible at the following link: Journals | Federation of Scientific and Technical Unions in Bulgaria