Energigemenskaper som byggare av försörjningsberedskap
Energiayhteisö
Energy communities as builders of security of supply
Implementation period: 1 September 2025 – 31 December 2027
The project launches a new era in the development of energy communities in Finland and strengthens local security of supply. The goal is to create a scalable operating model for establishing energy communities that combines decentralized energy production, community ownership, and crisis resilience.
In practice, this means modeling new energy solutions such as agrivoltaics technology (combining solar panels and cultivation), small-scale hydrogen production, hydropower, energy storage, and contingency planning. These solutions will enhance local energy self-sufficiency, reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and improve readiness to cope with power outages and crisis situations.
The project will analyze the effects of the reform of the Electricity Market Act on the establishment of energy communities, identify technological solutions in practice, and create a concrete model for implementing an energy community. The result will be an operating model that can be widely applied across Finland and that will serve as the foundation for establishing the country’s first regional energy community.
The project will be implemented in the village of Veikkaala in Mustasaari. The target groups are residents, village associations, farms, companies, and the municipality, but the results and lessons learned will broadly benefit other regions as well as national climate and security of supply efforts.
The project consortium consists of:
• Luonnonvarakeskus Luke (koordinaattori),
• Mustasaari municipality,
• Itäisen Mustasaaren Jokikylät ry,
• Energiequelle Oy and
• JR Solar Oy.
The consortium’s broad expertise covers research, administration, community development, and the technological and business perspectives of companies. This ensures that the solutions developed are technically functional, economically sustainable, and socially acceptable.
As a final outcome, the project will deliver a replicable operating model that supports the green transition, strengthens national security of supply, and creates new opportunities for local communities and businesses.
The project has received EU rural development funding of EUR 142,500 (European Union share + national share) from the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment of Ostrobothnia (European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development 2023–2027).
