The needs of citizens and users are at the heart of the inclusive energytransition that the RIPEET project aims to create. Ostrobothnia is one of three pilot regions in the project, Extremadura in Spain and the Scottish Highlands and Islands the other two. In June, the three regions met in Vaasa and gathered local stakeholders for an open seminar on energy communities and local energy initiatives.
Tapio Tuomi, CEO of the Finnish Local Energy Association, pointed out that a lot has happened in the energy market, but everything takes a long time. He gives as an example that it took ten years to change laws and regulations to make it possible for housing companies to install common solar panels.
"The tax exemption in 2015 meant that significantly more solar panels were installed in housing companies. When the building permit for solar panels was also abolished in 2017, the number increased drastically and more and more common energy systems were created in Finland, Tuomi says.
The next challenge now is to harmonise the municipalities' permit processes. As things stand today, the decisions of the building committees can look different depending on where in Finland you live, he says. Anna-Karin Pensar, planning manager in Pedersöre municipality, says that the issue of energy communities is so complex that it would be important for the municipalities to be involved at an early stage when they are planned.
Stefan Strandberg, who leads the technology work at Danfoss Drives, emphasized that cooperation between different agencies in the region is needed to make residents aware of what solutions are available and what the green transition can be about in practice. Tapio Tuomi agreed and said that the ongoing energy discussion has mostly been about prices so far. – Now the discussion needs to be deepened in order for knowledge about energy to increase among residents.
Read the article from the local press here