EC4RURAL - LIFE Programme

EC4RURAL project seeks to help deepen and transform relationships between rural communities and local and regional authorities to contribute to the clean energy transition (CET) in Europe.  

The shift towards the clean energy transition will be based on the active cooperation on local level. EC4RURAL will trigger a collaborative and co-creative process bringing together people from science and practice, citizens and local stakeholders.  

Through this bottom-up approach, EC4RURAL will foster the establishment of 34 citizen-led rural energy communities in Northern and Southern Europe – Estonia and Galicia (Spain) producing electricity through photovoltaic panels.  

The first energy communities are expected to be ready by September 2025. From that date on, rural consumers will become “prosumers”. This means that, in addition to consume energy, they will also be able to store, share or sell the excess energy generated.