The European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) is the biggest annual event dedicated to renewable energies and energy efficiency in Europe. A must-attend event for European players in the sector, European project partners and representatives of funding programs, AURA-EE takes part every year.

On Tuesday June 11, the Association des Centrales Villageoises was awarded the European Sustainable Energy Prize 2024 in the Local Action for Energy category.

Everything you need to know about the Centrales Villageoises : https://www.centralesvillageoises.fr/

This is recognition of the success of this highly original model of financing and citizen governance, launched by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Énergie Environnement (AURA-EE)... 14 years ago!

Presented in person to Juliette Rasse, the association's Development Officer, by Kadri Simson, European Commissioner for Energy, the award recognizes sustainable energy initiatives led by citizens' groups, local authorities or other players, working towards the transition to clean energy at local or community level.

The idea of Centrales Villageoises was born of a brainstorming coordinated by AURA-EE with several regional nature parks and pilot sites in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

The regional agency quickly assembled the regional and European funding needed to create a legal and financial model that would enable the local population to be involved in renewable energy projects, from design to operation.

At the end of 2013, the first local company came into being, and five years later, the Centrales Villageoises association was created.

These cooperative-governance companies enable local residents to take concrete action in favor of the local energy transition. Citizens, local authorities and local businesses come together in a company to carry out renewable energy production and energy-saving projects that make a major contribution to local resilience.

Little by little, the model has spread, including to other regions of France, until it now boasts 72 local companies (Centrales Villageoises), with over 500 photovoltaic installations in France, and is beginning to be exported to Europe.

Today, AURA-EE continues to support the Association des Centrales Villageoises in its European expansion, for example through its participation in the Life Ecopempower project, its application for the European Sustainable Energy Award, and its participation in the conference organized by Fedarene (European Federation of Agencies and Regions for Energy and the Environment) at the European Parliament in 2023.

Europe's support for the development of energy communities is essential. This award underlines the crucial role played by citizens in the energy transition, and the positive impact of their actions on local development.