An Estonia-Latvia Dialogue on Energy Communities

đź“… Date: 22 September 2026

🕙 Time: 14:00–15:30 EEST (Estonia Time) 

đź’» Online webinar

Join us for a new Life COMET webinar led in close cooperation between Estonian and Latvian actors. 

This webinar will be looking at what it would take to get an energy community off the ground in Estonia?

We will draw inspiration from Latvia's hands-on experience, from business planning and funding to working with communities, as well as insights from the National Foundation of Civil Society of Estonia on engaging community members once an energy community is established, and what supportive funding is available for emerging communities. 

Agenda

  • Annika E. Kullamäe (Estonia) - Introduction to the LIFE-COMET project and energy communities
  • Andra Kaulina-Ostrovska (Latvia) - Hands-on experience for building an energy community
  • Ilvija Ašmane (Latvia) - Regulatory landscape for energy communities in Latvia
  • Evelyn Valtin (Estonia) - Social innovation, engagement and co-creation
  • Kätrin Hanschmidt (Estonia) - Funding opportunities for NGOs and recommendations for preparing applications
  • Question & Answers

Find out more about our speakers

Ilvija Ašmane

Ilvija is a Climate and Energy Expert at the Latvian Rural Forum and serves as a National Expert with the European Energy Communities Facility. She comes from a background in environmental engineering and rural development, and much of her work is about making energy communities feel real and doable, not just a concept on paper. What excites her most is watching communities take charge of their own energy, cut costs, build local resilience, and make sure the benefits of the energy transition actually stay close to home.

Andra Kaulina Ostrovska

Project manager and founder of the energy community “EK Draudziba”, with hands-on experience in developing energy community initiatives. “EK Draudziba” has received support through the Energy Communities Facility, developed and submitted its business plan, and submitted an application to the Modernisation Fund.

Professional experience in project management within the Kurzeme Planning Region and Saldus Municipality provides a strong link between energy communities, local government and regional development, with a focus on practical and sustainable solutions for local communities.

Evelyn Valtin 

Evelyin is managing social innovation activities at the Swiss-Estonian cooperation programme “Supporting Social Inclusion”. She has worked at the National Foundation of Civil Society for almost 10 years, supporting civil society throughout. For the past 5 years, she is focused on advancing social innovation, mainly by developing and leading the Estonian side of several international projects, building international cooperation and helping launch a network of social innovation competence centres.

What draws her personally to energy communities: “What speaks to me about energy communities is living more in harmony with nature, feeling more connected within a community and coping better in times of crisis.”

Kätrin Hanschmidt

Kätrin is the NGO consultant at Viljandi County Development Center, offering practical advice to local civil society organizations, from getting a new association off the ground to finding funding and writing strong applications. She has been on both the practitioner and advisory side of NGO life, giving her a grounded perspective on what it actually takes. In this session, she'll share practical guidance on funding routes available to NGOs looking to take the first steps toward becoming energy communities.

What draws her personally to energy communities: "What speaks to me most about energy communities is that people can come together to create something that makes their everyday lives safer and gives the community more independence. In my work, I have seen that many good ideas never get realized, not because of lack of will, but for lack of knowledge, partners, or funding. That is why I care about helping communities turn a good idea into something that actually works."