5 questions for… Bojan Gajić
From defining energy communities and their role in the energy transition to outlining the benefits for local municipalities and citizens, Bojan Gajic offers a comprehensive look at how these initiatives can reshape the future of energy. He emphasizes the importance of public awareness and education, stressing that understanding the complexities of energy communities is key to their success.
Gajic also shares his vision for Serbia’s progress over the next decade and highlights how international experiences can accelerate the development of energy communities, showcasing the collective potential for a more resilient and sustainable energy future.
1. How would you define the concept of energy communities, and why do you believe they are crucial for the energy transition?
Energy communities are groups of local actors - citizens, businesses, and municipalities that collaboratively produce, manage, and share renewable energy or work together on other energy and energy efficiency projects that gain benefits for them. They prioritize local ownership, sustainable energy use, and community benefits. They are crucial for energy transition as they accelerate renewable adoption, reduce dependence on fossil fuels, and empower local stakeholders. By fostering energy efficiency, cutting costs, and enhancing resilience, they make the transition inclusive, decentralized, and aligned with climate goals.
2. What are the primary benefits of energy communities for local municipalities and citizens?
Energy communities offer numerous benefits starting from very broad ones, like reduced greenhouse gas emissions through renewable energy use and improved energy efficiency, improving local economies by creating jobs, and more direct benefits like lowering energy costs and enhancing energy independence. Socially, they empower communities, reduce energy poverty, and foster public engagement. Decentralized energy systems increase resilience to grid outages, while municipalities can align with their climate goals by improving the life quality of their citizens.
3. What role do public awareness and education play in fostering energy community initiatives?
The topic of the energy communities is not a simple one. Anyone involved shows significant multidisciplinary capacity (covering technical, legal, economic, regulatory, and other aspects). It is difficult to expect that many people are able to respond to the questions of energy communities. That is why raising awareness and knowledge of local actors is crucial for the success of energy community initiatives. The best way to do this is learning by example, and this will be possible after the first successful examples are implemented, but in the meantime, we need to find other ways…
4. Where do you see Serbia in the next 10 years regarding the adoption and success of energy communities?
To begin with this year and expectation of adopting bylaws for energy communities which is crucial for the success of this concept. Since energy communities are providing so many opportunities and benefits, my expectations are that in 10 years, we are going to have a very active community of energy communities whose members are starting their day with info about number of kWh that are produced by their plant, shared between members, money earned, but also how many kWh are spent in the poorest households – members of the energy community.
5. How can international experiences and partnerships accelerate the development of energy communities in the region?
As previously mentioned, the best way to raise awareness and knowledge of local actors is by learning by example. However, before establishing domestic successful examples, so much can be learned from examples that are already known internationally. There might be some of aspects that are not similar in all countries, but the most important ones – social and financial benefits are always there to be used as accelerators for home initiatives.
Bojan Gajić, co-founder of PET