{"id":13868,"date":"2025-08-24T18:46:21","date_gmt":"2025-08-24T16:46:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fotovol.com\/renewable-energy\/what-is-a-renewable-energy-community-rec-and-how-is-it-different-from-a-chp\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T08:55:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T06:55:05","slug":"what-is-a-renewable-energy-community-rec-and-how-is-it-different-from-a-chp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fotovol.com\/en\/renewable-energy\/what-is-a-renewable-energy-community-rec-and-how-is-it-different-from-a-chp\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a Renewable Energy Community (REC) and how is it different from a CHP?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The energy transition is no longer just the domain of large utility companies. Thanks to the <strong>EU Clean Energy Package<\/strong>, any citizen, SME or local authority can now become a renewable energy producer and share it with their community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this context, two key legal figures have emerged:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Renewable Energy Communities (RECs)<\/strong> \u2014 governed by <a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/legal-content\/EN\/TXT\/?uri=CELEX:32018L2001\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">EU Directive 2018\/2001<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Citizen Energy Communities (CECs)<\/strong> \u2014 governed by <a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/legal-content\/EN\/TXT\/?uri=CELEX:32019L0944\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">EU Directive 2019\/944<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>While both share the goal of democratising access to clean energy, they differ significantly in scope, participants and permitted activities. In this article we explain what a REC is, how it works, how it differs from a CEC, and how you can create one or join an existing one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-is-a-renewable-energy-community-rec\">What is a Renewable Energy Community (REC)?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A Renewable Energy Community (REC) is a legal entity formed by natural persons, SMEs or local authorities who associate in an <strong>open and voluntary<\/strong> manner to develop local renewable energy projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"key-characteristics\">Key characteristics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Open and voluntary participation:<\/strong> any local citizen or SME can join or leave without discrimination.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Democratic control:<\/strong> decisions are made collectively by the community members.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Territorial proximity:<\/strong> installations must be located near the members or the municipality.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Non-profit purpose:<\/strong> the goal is not financial profit but a positive environmental, social and economic impact.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Renewables only:<\/strong> all energy managed must come from clean sources (solar, wind, biomass\u2026).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"objectives\">Objectives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Drive the energy transition by reducing CO\u2082 emissions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Democratise energy access: citizens move from being mere consumers to <strong>prosumers<\/strong> (producers and consumers at the same time).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Generate direct savings on members&#8217; electricity bills.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Strengthen local development through sustainable projects.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"types-of-projects-developed\">Types of projects developed<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Collective self-consumption:<\/strong> generating electricity locally and sharing it among neighbours. This is the most common form of REC in Spain.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Electric mobility:<\/strong> installation of shared charging points for electric vehicles.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Efficiency and climate control:<\/strong> heat or cold networks for neighbourhood buildings using renewable sources.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Shared storage:<\/strong> community batteries to optimise consumption and generation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Practical example:<\/strong> a neighbourhood cooperative installs solar panels on the roof of a municipal sports centre and distributes the generated energy to 50 local families, reducing their electricity bill by 30% to 60%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"differences-between-rec-and-cec\">Differences Between REC and CEC<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Feature<\/th><th>REC<\/th><th>CEC<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Regulation<\/td><td>EU Directive 2018\/2001<\/td><td>EU Directive 2019\/944<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Energy type<\/td><td>Renewables only<\/td><td>Renewables and non-renewables<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Geographic scope<\/td><td>Local, close to installations<\/td><td>No strict territorial restriction<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Participants<\/td><td>Citizens, SMEs and local public bodies<\/td><td>Citizens, companies (without majority control) and public bodies<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Activities<\/td><td>Production, storage, efficiency, mobility<\/td><td>Same, plus electricity distribution and supply<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Purpose<\/td><td>Local impact, non-profit<\/td><td>Same with greater flexibility<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In summary: a <strong>REC is local and focused exclusively on renewables<\/strong>. A <strong>CEC is broader and more flexible<\/strong>, with energy activities that go beyond renewables and without such strict territorial restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"rec-and-cec-regulations-in-spain\">REC and CEC Regulations in Spain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Spain has been progressively adapting EU directives into its national legislation. Key milestones:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Regulation<\/th><th>Year<\/th><th>What it provides<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>RD 244\/2019<\/td><td>2019<\/td><td>Regulates collective self-consumption, the basis of many RECs<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>RD-Law 23\/2020<\/td><td>2020<\/td><td>Introduces the REC figure into the Electricity Sector Law<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>RD-Law 20\/2022<\/td><td>2022<\/td><td>Extends to 2 km the maximum distance between installations and consumers<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>RD-Law 5\/2023<\/td><td>2023<\/td><td>Incorporates the CEC definition into Spanish legislation<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Orders TED\/1446\/2021 and TED\/764\/2024<\/td><td>2021\u20132024<\/td><td>Aid framework (CE Implementa) for pilot projects<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>For a deeper look at the legal framework, see our article on <a href=\"https:\/\/fotovol.com\/en\/regulations-grants\/energy-communities-regulations\/\">energy community regulations<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"examples-of-recs-and-cecs-in-spain\">Examples of RECs and CECs in Spain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"active-recs-in-catalonia-and-spain\">Active RECs in Catalonia and Spain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Sant Miquel de Campmajor (Girona):<\/strong> 3.5 kWp photovoltaic installation for local residents and municipal buildings. One of the first examples of rural collective self-consumption in the province.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tossa de Mar:<\/strong> 4.3 kWp community supplying public buildings and local homes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Som Energia:<\/strong> Spain&#8217;s leading energy cooperative with over 80,000 members, producing and selling 100% renewable energy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"notable-cecs\">Notable CECs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.barcelonaenergia.cat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Barcelona Energia<\/a>:<\/strong> a municipal public company that allows citizens to consume 100% renewable electricity from local generation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pamplona:<\/strong> pilot projects combining self-consumption, storage and shared electric mobility.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"advantages-of-recs\">Advantages of RECs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Financial savings:<\/strong> direct reduction in electricity bills for all members, typically between 20% and 60%.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Environmental impact:<\/strong> lower CO\u2082 emissions and reduced dependence on fossil fuels.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Social impact:<\/strong> democratisation of energy access, especially for vulnerable households.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Local development:<\/strong> benefits are reinvested within the community, not exported elsewhere.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Energy security:<\/strong> reduced exposure to wholesale electricity price volatility.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-future-of-recs-and-cecs-in-spain\">The Future of RECs and CECs in Spain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Accelerated growth is expected thanks to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idae.es\/ayudas-y-financiacion\/comunidades-energeticas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CE Implementa programme by IDAE<\/a>, which funds pilot energy community projects.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Local authorities will play a central role as drivers of local energy communities, especially in rural municipalities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The development of battery storage and smart grids will allow greater flexibility and stability in community energy management.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Organisations such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unef.es\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF)<\/a> are pushing for scalable frameworks for these models across Spain.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-to-create-a-rec-with-fotovol\">How to Create a REC with Fotovol<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At <strong>Fotovol<\/strong>, we support citizens, SMEs and local authorities throughout the entire process:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Technical and legal design of the energy community<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Photovoltaic installation on rooftops or ground-mounted systems<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Management of CE Implementa aid applications and other funding calls<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Registration with the distribution network and configuration of energy sharing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to know how to create a REC in your municipality or join an existing one in the Girona region, get in touch with our <a href=\"https:\/\/fotovol.com\/en\/our-services\/energy-communities\/\">energy communities service<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A REC (Renewable Energy Community) is a legal entity formed by citizens, SMEs and local authorities who join together to produce and consume 100% renewable energy collectively and locally. Its main goal is not profit, but energy savings and environmental benefit for the community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-renewable-energy"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fotovol.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fotovol.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fotovol.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fotovol.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fotovol.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13868"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/fotovol.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13868\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21427,"href":"https:\/\/fotovol.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13868\/revisions\/21427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fotovol.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fotovol.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fotovol.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}