Paths to Upgrading Community Energy: the life COMET Toolkit
Upgrading national coalitions and energy communities
The toolkit supports the advancement of energy community maturity levels by gathering a selection of existing toolkits, strategies, and reference documents. It equips project partners, energy communities, national coalitions, policymakers, and NGOs with knowledge and practical tools to strengthen local initiatives, improve policy frameworks, and promote inclusive and just energy transitions.
Through this compilation, users can explore resources that address key challenges faced by energy communities; from regulatory gaps and financing barriers to limited engagement and collaboration. The toolkit serves as a comprehensive reference point for anyone seeking to:
- Navigate complex policy and regulatory frameworks,
- Develop sustainable and scalable business models,
- Engage citizens and stakeholders effectively, and
- Promote equitable access to renewable energy.
What’s inside?
The Life COMET Toolkit is organised around three key themes, each addressing a fundamental dimension of community energy development and reflecting the 11 criteria used to assess national maturity levels:
- Frameworks for Enabling Community Energy
→ Focused on improving policy, legal, and institutional conditions for community energy, and on integrating it into local, regional, and national strategies. - Practical Development of Community Energy
→ Dedicated to business models, financing mechanisms, and technical solutions that support the creation and operation of sustainable community energy projects. - Community Energy Growth
→ Centered on stakeholder mobilisation, inclusivity, communication, and knowledge-sharing to strengthen the long-term impact of community energy initiatives.
Each theme is divided into a set of 7 paths, or practical entry points formulated as guiding questions (e.g. “How to improve regulatory frameworks for community energy?”, “How to develop and promote sustainable business models?”).
Each path brings together a curated selection of existing guides, toolkits, and best practices that help communities, policymakers, and coalitions address specific challenges and advance their level of maturity.
To make navigation easier, the toolkit follows the SCCALE project methodology, illustrating the four main stages of community energy development:
Inspiration → Preparation → Implementation → Operation.
Each stage is represented by a distinct icon to help users identify which tools best fit their project’s current phase.
How to use it:
- Download the full toolkit (PDF) below to access summaries and direct links to external tools and guides
- Identify the path and stage that best matches your community’s current situation
- Explore the recommended resources to strengthen your national or local initiatives.
