The Community of Practice (CoP) in Portugal aims to advance the energy transition by supporting municipalities and practitioners operating in this policy domain. The Portuguese CoP is coordinated by NOVA FCT in partnership with AREANATejo and from April 2025 has facilitated online meetings hosted on the Zoom platform. The main communication channel for the CoP will be a LinkedIn group where all members are invited to participate. This group will serve as the primary means for discussing, sharing knowledge, and generating common ideas about energy transitions, fostering a sense of community among members.
Members will have access to resources and tools ahead of each session to support their participation, ensuring they can actively engage in the activities. The meetings will last for up to 2 hours and will include an interactive segment where participants can share their thoughts and queries. Minutes will be taken during each meeting, allowing those who cannot attend to catch up on the discussions later. The CoP aims to empower municipalities and County Councils to learn and replicate the model designed in the ENTRACK project, fostering energy transition plans with a social perspective.
Reasons to join the Community of Practice:
- Access to Knowledge & Resources: Gain valuable insights, tools, and materials to support energy transition initiatives.
- Experience Sharing & Learning: Exchange opinions, learn from peers, and replicate successful models.
- Networking & Professional Growth: Connect with experts, expand your professional network, and enhance your skills.
- Structured Discussions & Impact: Participate in interactive meetings that foster innovation and support community-driven energy solutions.
Join the Portuguese Community of Practice via this Link (or by scanning the QR code below): https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/PortugueseCoP
CoP Meetings Timeline
1st CoP Meeting
28 participants – Introductory CoP Meeting
2nd CoP Meeting
42 participants – Renewable Energy Communities (RECs)
3rd CoP Meeting
36 participants – Energy poverty diagnosis and identification of vulnerable groups at the local scale and in rural areas
CoP Meetings
The 1st CoP Meeting took place on April 2nd with 28 participants. The session introduced the ENTRACK project, outlining its goals, scope, and recent activities, while also explaining the purpose of a Community of Practice (CoP). Details of existing project resources and links to the CoP LinkedIn page were shared to facilitate knowledge exchange between members.
The session was then opened to gather members’ thoughts and reflections on the desired outcomes of the Portuguese CoP. Key themes discussed included the installation of large-scale solar parks in the Alto Alentejo region and community energy alternatives, the potential for municipal energy ownership, and questions of citizen interest in energy issues.
A Mentimeter activity evaluated the interests of CoP members and ideas for follow-up session topics, with the top priority topic identified as Renewable Energy Communities (RECs). The meeting concluded with reflections on the disconnection between citizens and local policy, as well as strategies for better community involvement.
The 2nd CoP Meeting, focused on Renewable Energy Communities (RECs), was held on May 12, 2025 with 42 CoP participants.
Three guest speakers contributed insights. Two presenting local REC initiatives in Portugal, and one discussing a national energy cooperative that supports decentralized energy production and REC development. Common barriers to REC implementation identified by all speakers included administrative, bureaucratic, financial, legal, informational, and literacy barriers as well as limited political support. The speakers advocated for collaborative action to maintain momentum and increase REC uptake in Portugal, highlighting their own cases as positive examples.
The open discussion with CoP members revealed a preoccupation with making RECs truly inclusive, suggesting that proximity to local associations and dedicated energy advice services could be used as tools to achieve this.
The 3rd CoP Meeting, entitled “Energy poverty diagnosis and identification of vulnerable groups at the local scale and in rural areas” was held on July 17, 2025 with 36 participants.
Guest speakers from CENSE, NOVA FCT, and ADENE/Portuguese Energy Poverty Observatory presented on diagnosing energy poverty and shared insights into national policy and observatory activities.
Both speakers reflected on the ongoing challenges of data availability for measuring energy poverty. The importance of local-scale action and the need to design accessible energy poverty policies were central themes of the discussion. In particular, the accessibility of current policies was a divisive topic among session participants, with diverging opinions on whether contemporary policies are effectively reaching energy-poor consumers. The session emphasized the importance local-scale policies. Questions of local-scale resource scarcity and the need to enhance energy literacy with improved communication strategies were also key discussion points. The high level of engagement reflected a strong interest in continuing the conversation in future CoP meetings.
The Portuguese CoP with over 70 members!
