RIMINI (ITALPRESS) – Renewable Energy Community, social benefits and replicable models for the territories: these were the themes at the center of the meeting “Renewable Energy Community and social impacts. Best practices, models and opportunities for the territories”, organized by the GSE at its stand at the Meeting in Rimini 2026.
To open the works and moderate the round table was Vito Pastore, Director of External Relations and Strategic Planning of the GSE. In comparison, Alberta Gervasio, CEO of Bluenergy Group, participated; Silvia Chiassai Martini, President of C.E.R. Italy; Silvia Pedrotti, Secretary General of the Energy Bank Foundation and Felice Vai, President of CER USE NORD.
The meeting has compared different experiences of the world of enterprises, energy communities and the Third Sector, showing how sharing energy can result in environmental and economic benefits, contrast to energy poverty, participation and social cohesion.
During the event the growth of CER in Italy was also recalled. As part of the PNRR measure, 48,750 requests were submitted, with 30,299 applications allowed, 779 million euros of grants granted and a total power of 1.763,6 MW.
“Opening this comparison to the Meeting means bringing back the energy transition to its most concrete dimension, that of people and territories – said Pastor opening the work –. The Renewable Energy Communities show that production from renewable sources, participation and social inclusion can proceed together. The GSE wants to accompany this path by providing skills, tools and opportunities for comparison, so that the opportunities offered by the CER can be translated into sustainable, accessible and replicable projects.”
“The Renewable Energy Communities are one of the most significant developments in the energy transition because they transform a seemingly technical theme, such as energy production and sharing, into an opportunity for collaboration and collective growth – said Gervasio, showing the environmental and social relapses of shared energy by comparing the experience gained with both Bluenergy projects. Today talking about shared energy means talking about territories and responsibility towards the future. The project at Bluenergy Stadium represents this vision. From this experience the Renovatio project, which embodies the principles indicated by the Italian Bishops’ Conference for the Energy Communities, founded on the care of the common house, on the fight against energy poverty and social cohesion, and translates them into tangible benefits for the parish institutions and for the communities that are part of it. Renovatio is a replicable model that combines environmental sustainability, social inclusion and development of local communities, in which energy becomes an instrument of participation, sharing and attention to the community.”
Chiassai Martini illustrated the experience of the first national public traction CER. “Fondazione CER Italia is a national model with public traction, solid, inclusive that without cost or risk it allows everyone, citizens, companies, third sector etc. to sign up for free from all of Italy, guaranteeing transparency, reliability and ability to hold together different interests, focusing on the social and economic value of shared energy. FCI is a facilitator of the municipalities, allows a rapid and capillary diffusion of the CERs, without risks and costs, leaving to each territory its own autonomy. Our strength is networking, creating economies of scale and bringing skills where they serve. Today all together, we have the opportunity and duty to transform the energy transition into a concrete political action, building today the future of our children fromtheir schools.”
Pedrotti intervened on the role of CERs in contrast to energy poverty: “The model of the Renewable and Solidal Energy Communities is a concrete and innovative tool to combine energy transition with the creation of social value, helping to improve the quality of life of the most vulnerable people and to counteract the phenomenon of energy poverty. Since its establishment in 2016, the Fondazione Banco dell’energia has been working with the aim of making access to energy more and more equitable and inclusive, promoting interventions and projects capable of generating tangible benefits for communities and the territory. In this path – he added – the realization of Renewable and Solidal Energy Community is a virtuous model that, if widespread on a large scale, can foster social cohesion and a more sustainable future for all”.
On the other hand, Vai presented the project aimed at third sector bodies and synergies activated through energy welfare. “Renewable Energy Communities are not only a crucial hub for ecological transition, but a real leverage of ‘Welfare Energeti’. USE NORD is born just as a CER of enterprises with a strong social vocation, with the aim of actively supporting the Third Sector. Our model – it has concluded – is simple and virtuous: the enterprises realize the plants and share the energy with the consumers, while a part of the generated incentives is redistributed to the realities of the Third Sector that concretely help the territory. A tangible example of sustainability and application of ESG principles.”.
– photo Italpress –
(ITALPRESS).
