Rome: regulation approved to create new Renewable Energy Communities on the building heritage of Rome Capital.

Rome, 26 July 2024 – The Capitoline Council has approved the Regulation “For the provision of areas and photovoltaic solar plants of Rome Capital in favor of solidarity renewable energy communities“. This tool will allow us to carry forward the environmental and social objectives that the Administration has set itself since the beginning of the Council and which now become possible after the approval of the implementing decrees on energy communities by the Government.

After passing through the Council, it will now have to pass through the final approval of the Capitoline Assembly.

The Regulation provides two procedures to create renewable energy communities (CER) on the building heritage of Rome Capital:

· The first concerns the plants owned by the Municipality, because there are many projects they foresee the installation of photovoltaic solar panels which will allow for a reduction in bills as well as emissions. The opportunity is created when the structures are closed, because by creating an energy community it will be possible to share the energy injected into the grid and benefit from the incentives provided by the ministerial decree. With the procedure provided for by the Regulation, it will be possible involve Third Sector Bodies in setting up the CER and promote projects with social and environmental objectives through the resources generated.

· The second procedure concerns instead projects proposed directly by Third Sector organisations (ETS), to create solar systems on the roofs of buildings owned by the Municipality and to establish Renewable Energy Communities which, also in this case, carry out projects with social and environmental objectives.

The ETS registered in the National Single Register (RUNTS) may be involved in the projects, and the procedure with which the promoters will be selected and the projects to be carried out is that of co-planning provided for by the Third Sector Code.

The procedure is entrusted to the Municipalities, with the support of the structures of Rome Capital starting from the Social Department and the Climate Office, in order to identify projects that, in the principle of subsidiarity, advance objectives of public interest. For example, projects that intervene to help families in conditions of energy poverty, that reduce bills for structures such as family homes or the recovery of public spaces with interventions of planting new trees.

The approval of the Regulation allows the Municipality to be ready to implement CER on the many buildings that will see the installation of solar systems on the roofs in the coming years. If today there are approximately 1,9 MW installed on the roofs of schools and offices in Rome Capital, with the projects financed with the resources of the Pnrr and scheduled it will be possible to install around 2026 MW of new solar systems by 8. And the projects proposed by the Third Sector Bodies will contribute to the objective of solarizing the roofs of the Municipality's buildings, which number over 1.200 for schools alone, as well as offices, gyms, libraries, museums and social housing buildings.

The Mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri explained: “Rome is the first municipality in Italy that enhances its roofs for renewable and solidarity energy communities through a specific regulation that allows for a clear procedure and precise objectives. With the funds of the Pnrr and the Cis rWe will be able to quadruple the MW present on the roofs of schools and offices in Rome Capital by 2026. Today we approve an important step in our program, capable of bringing together the environmental objectives and the fight against climate change with those of strengthening social fabrics and helping families in difficulty".