The Government regulates energy communities for the first time

BarcelonaThe government gave the green light this Tuesday to the new renewable energy decree, which aims to promote green energy and storage and which regulates energy communities for the first time. The decree, In a first version, it was approved in June, But it didn't receive parliamentary approval and was withdrawn before validation. Now, however, the government headed by Salvador Illa seems likely to be able to push it through. after agreeing on the content with ERC and common.

For the spokesperson for the Catalan Government, Minister Sílvia Paneque, the objective of the new decree is to "increase the resilience" of Catalonia's energy system and "promote the use of renewable energy." Unlike the previous regulations, the text does not include the consideration of all renewable energy generating facilities as being of overriding public interest.

According to the Government, this decree incorporates various measures to increase citizen participation in the electricity system. Thus, for the first time, it regulates the figure of energy communities, that is, communities of people who come together to generate and manage their own energy and energy services. In this sense, a registry of these entities is created, and the participation of local entities in these communities is also regulated, providing them with greater autonomy.

The decree law advances administrative simplification, as long processing times are one of the main obstacles to the development of renewable energy. Thus, for example, it allows the transfer of administrative authorizations for projects not yet in operation, to minimize the number of waivers by developers—until now, this could be done elsewhere in Spain but not in Catalonia. It also increases the minimum power required to require administrative authorization for a wind or photovoltaic generation project to 500 kW, streamlining the process for improving or upgrading electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure.

One of the main problems facing renewable energy in Catalonia is opposition from the region. The new decree aims to improve the fit of renewable energy projects in the region where they are installed. The law provides for the creation of social dialogue panels in each veguería (vegueria), and establishes improvements to local participation procedures to encourage citizen participation and increase the information available to residents.

The decree also articulates measures to minimize the impact of energy installations on the environment. Thus, the installation of renewable energy on irrigated land is restricted, whether already approved or under development, and the possibility of installing power lines in spaces close to the road network is also contemplated. The law also regulates solar pergolas.

Batteries and Blackouts

The original decree and the one now agreed upon regulate for the first time the installation of batteries, which reduce the risk of a blackout in the electrical system and contribute to the rapid restoration of supply. Therefore, the decree law defines the urban and energy processing procedures that these installations will have to follow, clarifies their regulatory framework, and provides them with greater legal certainty.

In this way, the companies developing the projects, city councils, and the public will have access to regulations that aim to dispel any doubts regarding how these types of installations should be processed and that will accelerate their implementation with full guarantees for all stakeholders. There are currently 134 battery storage projects in Catalonia under the jurisdiction of the Generalitat (Catalan Government), 125 of which are independent batteries (stand-alone) and 9 are hybrid battery projects with renewable installations, totaling 1,096.79 MW.