Renewable Energy Community

Community energy represents a modern approach to energy use, where individuals, households or entire communities generate energy and share surplus energy with others. This approach supports not only more environmentally friendly energy use, but also greater energy independence and economic sustainability. If you share surplus energy, for example within an energy community with other members, you can reduce your own energy costs or gain additional financial benefits.

Community energy was introduced into Czech legislation through the Lex OZE II amendment to the Energy Act, effective from 1 January 2024. Another important milestone was the launch of the first phase of services of the Electricity Data Centre (EDC) on 1 August 2024. The EDC is a key part of the electricity sharing system, as electricity cannot be shared without registration in the EDC.

There are currently three main forms of community energy sharing. Active customer, energy community and renewable energy community.

A renewable energy community (REC) is a specific type of energy community focused on sharing energy produced exclusively from renewable sources. Unlike a standard energy community, it is not limited only to electricity sharing — other types of renewable energy, such as heat or biomethane, can also be shared.

This model is particularly suitable for local communities, municipalities, households or small and medium-sized enterprises that want to jointly produce, use and share renewable energy. An important principle of RECs is their local and community-oriented nature. The primary goal is not profit generation, but mainly providing environmental, economic and social benefits to community members and the local area.

Unlike a traditional energy community, RECs operate under stricter rules. Shared energy must always come from renewable sources, while the influence of large corporations is limited. The model is therefore primarily aimed at smaller local participants such as households, municipalities or small and medium-sized enterprises.

Like standard energy communities, RECs must also have a legal form, most commonly an association or cooperative. The operation of the community is then managed by a designated individual or responsible administrator.

In the Czech environment, renewable energy communities are currently not as widespread as traditional energy communities or the active customer model. One reason is the current legislative framework, which focuses more on energy communities and active customers. RECs are also mainly based on European legislation and are still regulated less practically and in less detail within the Czech legal system. As a result, many projects today are established as standard energy communities, which offer more flexible operation and broader possibilities for member participation.

Allocation keys determine how generated energy is distributed among individual community members — in other words, who receives the shared energy and in what proportion. The distribution is set as percentages and can be adjusted over time according to the needs of the community.

For energy sharing to work, both consumption and production points must be equipped with interval metering, i.e. smart electricity meters recording data in 15-minute intervals. The installation of these meters is ensured by the relevant electricity distributor. Electricity sharing is based precisely on evaluating production and consumption within individual fifteen-minute intervals.

If you are unsure about any part of the process, need more information or would appreciate help with setup, feel free to contact us. We will be happy to explain everything and help you find a solution that makes sense for your specific situation.