Practical guidance on community energy as regional self-help in Moldova

Keywords: citizen energy, climate protection, energy efficiency and conservation, communication, capacity building

Subject and goals of the project

Like other European countries, the Republic of Moldova is also striving to implement measures for a renewable, decentralized and resilient electricity and heat supply. Energy supply security is patchy, particularly in rural areas, energy prices are volatile and had quintupled in some cases by 2023. Against this background, a special “window of opportunity” is opening up in Moldova for the topic of community energy. In this agricultural region, bioenergy production offers particular opportunities alongside wind energy and photovoltaics.

The project consists of the broad-based training of project developers, the development of knowledge to strengthen regional and local citizen energy and the improvement of their framework conditions and self-organization. Citizens’ energy in Moldova is to develop noticeably over the course of the project. The project follows a top-down approach and addresses stakeholders of the local environmental and climate movement as well as companies in three districts, particularly in the area of agricultural production. In addition, relevant authorities and organizations at local, regional and national level in Moldova are involved in the design in order to achieve an optimization and good transferability of the framework conditions for participatory approaches and to systematically promote formal, structured forms of self-help.

Many agricultural businesses in Germany are organized as cooperatives. As a result, they have cross-company know-how that can be applied in this project approach and support the development of the young democracy in Moldova through the use of various forms of exchange of opinions, finding compromises, cross-sector cooperation and sustainable management.

Innovation and exemplary nature of the project

Cooperatives are a form of business that has been handed down from pre-Soviet times but has been socially discredited during and since the Soviet Union. The traditional form of cooperation in former production cooperatives is also being criticized.

In this respect, the project initiates a discussion on modern, efficient cooperation structures in the Republic of Moldova as an important part of the innovative approach. Aspects of prosumer energy play a relevant role in the envisaged citizen energy communities.

It is hoped that the structured strengthening of civil society involvement in the project will not only make an important contribution towards energy supply security, stability and affordability, but also promote young democracy in its spirit of optimism towards Europe.

Special aspects of the project

The many years of activity of the German partners in the Republic of Moldova and the trusting cooperation with Moldovan stakeholders that has developed over this period are a promising basis for actively involving the various stakeholders in this awareness-raising and capacity-building project.

Funding theme 6: Renewable energy, energy saving and efficiency

Project Implementation:

Places of work: Germany, Republic of Moldova

Funding period: September 2023 to September 2025

Project costs: Total volume: 248,416 euros, funding from DBU: 124,208 euros

DBU-AZ: 39068

Status: 01.03.2024