RENEWABLE ENERGY COMMUNITIES (RECOMM): ELECTRICITY FROM RENEWABLE SOURCES – ENERGY SAVING, ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL BENEFITS

The energy crisis has shown that all available tools are necessary in order to achieve energy savings and the green European climate goal – the abolition of fossil fuels, making the energy transition a reality with the participation of citizens and local communities. Many countries of the European Union are currently introducing mandatory measures and recommendations to limit the consumption of electricity and encourage its responsible production and use.

Energy transition with the participation of citizens and local communities is also possible in BiH, through the concept of renewable energy communities (REE). ZOE members can be: citizens, municipalities, cities, small and medium enterprises, as well as public enterprises.

The organization of members and the formation of a legal entity that manages the ZOE project should be guided by the principles of open and volunteer membership. ZOE should primarily provide environmental, economic and social benefits to the community for its members. Furthermore, ZOEs help to create and build on existing local networks and partnerships. Using the profit from the sale of electricity from renewable sources, ZOE contributes to reducing the poverty of its members and improving the local community.

ZOE projects are focused on meeting local needs for the production and use of electricity from renewable sources. Electricity produced in ZOE can be stored, exchanged between members or sold on the market.

Establishing and promoting ZOE can be an effective way to reduce the impact of the energy crisis by supporting joint ownership of renewable energy electricity generation.

The European Commission has already seen the importance and strength of ZOE as well as the fact that ZOE can be an important factor in achieving the independence of the energy system, and strongly supports the exchange of experience gained in implementation, openly talks about the challenges, but also the advantages that ZOE brings.

Chamber of Commerce of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in cooperation with

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

The project “Decarbonization of the energy sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)” is implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) of the Federal Republic of Germany. In cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH (MVTEO), Germany is assisting BiH in its efforts to make energy supply more sustainable and fulfill its obligations under the Energy Community Treaty (EnCT), as well as other international obligations in the field of energy and climate. For more information about the project, visit: https://www.giz.de/en/worldwide/93051.html.