Research news

Closure of the ROLECS project – Roll Out of Local Energy Communities (January 2019 – October 2021)

After almost three years, The ROLECS project – Roll Out of Local Energy Communities - has come to an end. The project was a unique cooperation between 25 companies and different Flemish research institutes active in the energy sector, including the BSoG.

A FLUX50 VLAIO-funded project, ROLECS has worked towards gaining a better understanding and maximizing the potential of Local Energy Communities (LECs). LECs seek to transform the energy landscape in line with the position of the European Commission: more sustainable and with active participation of the end consumer. Amongst the goals of ROLECS was to make LECs a relevant part of the energy system, to enable more local renewable energy and to offer new business opportunities without increasing the social costs of public infrastructure.

As a partner of the project, the BSoG was tasked with analysing the current state of the EU regulatory framework for the launch and development of LECs, including exploring legislative options and challenges for their implementation within Member States. In addition, the work of the BSoG has been aimed at examining the Belgian legal framework relevant to energy communities and developing policy recommendations to prepare for their rollout. Sebastian Oberthür, Ólöf Söebech, Carlos Soria Rodriguez and Laura Iozzelli led the work on the ROLECS project at the BSoG.

 

Related news: ROLECS report identifies key legislative challenges for energy communities in Belgium