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The Role of Energy Communities in a Just Energy Transition
According to the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in Colombia, an energy community (EC) is a social structure (i.e., a community) with robust governance based on written rules and/or traditional practices organised around a productive project, where energy serves as a catalyst to improve quality of life and equity within the community.
However, there is a lack of clariry around what qualifies as an energy community and, more importantly, what does not.
This document seeks to establish a common position that ensures coherence across the countries where GIZ is working under the EC framework, while also reflecting national contexts—in this case, Colombia.
Colombian regulation defines energy communities as actual or potential users of energy services who can organise themselves to generate, commercialise, and/or use energy efficiently through renewable energy sources, renewable fuels, and distributed energy resources. These communities may consist of both individuals and legal entities.
Currently, many of these initiatives lack sustainable income-generating mechanisms to ensure long-term viability. Moreover, the economic benefits generated are not always reinvested within the community, limiting their transformative impact.
Combined with weak governance structures, unstable revenue flows, and limited payment culture, these challenges raise the risk of failure for implemented energy solutions.
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