How did it go? New report assessing the pilot activities around fair energy services
Marine Cornelis and Miriam Eisermann
Since 2021, the city, academic and private partners that form the POWER UP team worked full steam on their inclusive energy services. Now, it is time to see how it went. An in-depth evaluation, authored by Saska Petrova and Ami Crowther from University of Manchester traces four and a half years of local work across Europe. It follows pilots as they navigated administrative complexities, political shifts, and the everyday realities of people in energy poverty. The document brings together numbers, conversations, and field experiences. It is an honest record of what happens when institutions try to build trust and share energy on new terms.
Across six sites, from Spain to North Macedonia, POWER UP (re)designed energy services to change underlying systems of disadvantage and inequity, to give people in energy poverty the chance to improve their situation. Were objectives achieved and processes effective?
The POWER UP project has been evaluated at multiple scales, supported by a range of data sources, and capturing the perspectives of a wide diversity of actors. The evaluation draws upon a range of data sources from project minutes to partner interviews. It does not only provide feedback to the project partners but may also inform organisations that plan to carry out similar EU-funded projects in the near future. Overall, the project met its objectives effectively, even if not all reached their targets (key performance indicators) were reached by October 2025. POWER UP contributes with valuable evidence on how social innovation and citizen participation can drive a just and inclusive transition of Europe’s energy systems.
Municipal departments are “needing to do new things that go beyond what they usually do”.
Partner from Valencia, Spain
Reflections and learnings to advance a fair energy system
The project left a clear mark : It involved 740 households living in energy poverty and reached over 98,300 consumers in vulnerable situations through communication efforts. As municipal practices had to be adapted to make the energy pilots work,the project contributed 14 times to a revamp of policy processes. As of the beginning, the project was meant to create long-term impact. Therefore 569 public officers and local stakeholders were trained both in engaging with people in energy poverty and in the very specific local shared energy or energy efficiency solutions.
Yet what partners emphasised most in the evaluationwas the feeling of building something real. One project partner described the work as “rewarding” because it created tangible structures: legal entities, rooftop systems, local helpdesks, and support schemes that will outlive the project. Regular meetings, co-creation sessions, and flexibility in the initial project description (Grant Agreement) helped teams adjust when politics changed, when departments slowed down, and when capacity was stretched. These shared practices now form part of the project’s legacy.
Takeaways from the pilot cities involved in POWER UP
Valencia (Spain):
Valencia’s two energy sharing models took slowly shape on the technical side, with the devastating 2024 floods and long permitting cycles delaying installation. But the human side moved fast. The Climate Office and Social Services worked together to reach residents who rarely appear in energy programmes. Workshops unfolded in community spaces and shifted topics as needs emerged. Some sessions focused on bills, while others focused on coping with heat. By October 2025, the pilot had communicated with 93,188 consumers in energy poverty situations and trained 252 officers and stakeholders. Participants said they left with “knowledge and tools to solve” situations that once felt overwhelming.
Rožnov pod Radhoštěm (Czech Republic)
RoĹľnov installed a PV system on social housing. By the end of the project it involved 11 households. This is smaller than plannedinterest around this novel approach grew wide in the city. Public events, DIY demonstrations, and the one-stop shop gave residents spaces to ask questions, compare bills, or simply understand how the system worked. The pilot involved 232 households in energy poverty in the initial set up, reached 2,090 consumersthrough its communication campaign, and trained 60 stakeholders who gained new knowledge to continue the work. Regular contact with the potential users in the social housing block and with local intermediaries became its main strength.
Campania Region (Italy)
In Campania, the work was not linear at all: partners faced legislative delays, political turnover, and required very personal communication to engage with consumers in vulnerable situations. However, the efforts paid off and the a new legal entity for a Renewable Energy Community (REC) was created in 2025. The team reactivated unused municipal PV and prepared a ground-mounted system that will feed the REC Vesuvio Est. Co-creation and energy poverty mitigation workshops in towns like San Giuseppe Vesuviano and Palma Campania revealed how little residents knew about existing local services and energy poverty solutions. By October 2025, 92households had taken part in those activities, and 39 civil servantsand stakeholders had been trained. The legal entity now in place is a cornerstone for what comes next.
Eeklo (Belgium)
Eeklo built on the presence of an existing wind turbine and the long-standing local cooperative Ecopower. Seventeen households joined early through pre-financed social shares. Rising and falling energy prices later made the cooperative tariff harder to promote, so the team developed a second model based on plug-and-play solar systems. Door-to-door conversations, neighbourhood gatherings, and informal advice sessions helped the pilot reach 1,515 consumersin energy poverty and train 35 stakeholders. Trust grew through these small encounters.
Sustaining impact for others
Across all sites, the evaluation shows that inclusive energy work requires time, resources and flexibility. It grows through proximity and steady presence. The authors conclude saying that the successful delivery of pilot project activities is dependent on foundational work being undertaken.
These experiences offer practical guidance for municipalities that want to drive impact themselves. They also trigger questions and suggestions around the effective design of policies, projects and people involvement. Get in touch with us to continue the conversation! Drop a line to project coordinators Eduardo Blanco or Miriam Eisermann.
In addition to the Evaluation Report, you will find a wealth of resources in our online library.
“Stopping was not a failure. It was the starting point,” reflected Guus van der Nat when we spoke about Heerlen’s journey in the POWER UP project. His words captured the resilience that defined the Dutch pilot: a story of recalibration. The municipality of Heerlen started as a pilot in the POWER UP project and turned active observer due to local difficulties.
We want to amplify the very timely call that stick out when reading the TANDEM project’s final policy brief: To make community energy more inclusive, fair and effective, national frameworks must better support cooperation between local authorities, citizens, and energy actors.
