SENCO – Solar ENergy COmmunities in Action

Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Albania are Contracting Parties to the Energy Community Treaty and align their energy systems with the European Union’s climate and energy goals. The Green Agenda for the Western Balkans calls for decarbonisation, higher renewable energy use, better energy efficiency and stronger citizen participation in the energy transition. Yet all three countries still rely heavily on fossil fuels and face significant barriers to the utilization of decentralised renewable energy solutions. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the regulatory framework remains fragmented, and the National Energy and Climate Plan is still in draft form. North Macedonia has improved its legal framework for prosumers and energy communities, but implementation remains weak. Albania has strategic energy and energy-efficiency laws, but secondary legislation, technical guidance, and institutional coordination still limit progress. The project supports these national and regional frameworks by strengthening the practical conditions for prosumers, photovoltaic systems, and energy communities.

The project accelerates the energy transition in partners’ regions by providing practical and technical knowledge to local authorities, homeowners’ associations, technicians, investors, citizens, youth and civil society organisations. The project team is starting with a legal and technical analysis of prosumer status, the requirements for the installation of solar panels, and the rules governing the formation of energy communities. On this basis, the project develops policy recommendations, guidelines for photovoltaics installation, and a step-by-step guide for homeowner associations. To strengthen technical skills, the project develops a training programme for photovoltaic installers and delivering targeted training initiatives. Summer schools engage young people as future energy leaders. Round tables, information days, and conferences bring together authorities, investors, installers, and citizens to discuss solutions for renewable energy and energy community models. By combining policy analysis, technical documentation, training, and public engagement, the project helps local stakeholders to adopt solar energy solutions, initiate and develop energy communities, and further disseminate these models across the Western Balkans.

This project is funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) as part of International Partnerships Austria and the European Climate Initiative (EUKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN).