LECSea is the abbreviation for Local Energy Communities in the 2 Seas region. The project started 01/02/2020 and runs until 30/09/2022. The LECSea project is funded through the Interreg 2 Seas program (pogramme priority 2, low carbon technologies).

More information about the project can be found on https://www.lecsea.eu/. 

Common Challenge
The role in the energy system of citizens, businesses and all types of energy consumerswill change in short future.  Today all EU-member states prepare implementation by 2020 of "Local Energy Communities" (LEC): “an association, a cooperative, a partnership, a non-profit organization or other legal entity which is effectively controlled by local shareholders or members, generally value rather than profit-driven, involved in distributed generation and in performing activities of a distribution system operator, supplier or aggregator at local level, including across borders."

LECs make energy sharing of mid-scale sustainable energy feasible, today it is very difficult.  New challenges arise: LECs offer the legal and organisational framework fo complex energy arrangements, but the initiation of these new arangements is not secured: businesses, citizens and organisations need to embrace the concept of LEC, new organisation models, technical innovations and market services.  The role in the energy system of citizens, businesses and all types of energy consumerswill change in short future.  Today all EU-member states prepare implementation by 2020 of "Local Energy Communities" (LEC): “an association, a cooperative, a partnership, a non-profit organization or other legal entity which is effectively controlled by local shareholders or members, generally value rather than profit-driven, involved in distributed generation and in performing activities of a distribution system operator, supplier or aggregator at local level, including across borders."

Overall objective

A succesfull take-off of Energy Communities (EC's) in the 2-Seas region. The new LEC-option in legislation gets adopted by the stakeholders, the market and energy consumers to create energy synergies and cooperation models. This will lead to unlocking extra potential of mid-scale sustainable energy (large solar PV, CHP, district heating, microgrids, storage, wind...) shared in the EC's. The acceptance and adoption of sustainable energy technologies increases with businesses, citizens and/or organisations. Carbon reduction via more sustainable energy production.

• Knowledge building with 640 potential EC-stakeholders and decision makers reached with the knowledge platform
• 8 lighthouse demonstration projects throughout the 2-Seas region with a different scope.
• €30 MLN investments triggered via the lighthouse demonstrators
• 15.000 MWh renewable energy production per year by the 8 lighthouse projects
• 3.750 tCO2 savings per year by the 8 lighthouse projects
  
  

Main outputs

1. Service Center on Energy Communities in the 2-Seas region. A library of tested and tailor made tools, services and methodologies to enable EC facilitators and different target groups (businesses, social housing, citizens, clusters of public and/or private organisations).
2. Knowlegde Platform on EC's in the 2 Seas region that enables participation and knowledge sharing amongst ECstakeholders and potential end users. The platforms are organised on regional/national level, as well as on cross-border level.
3. 8 Energy Communities lighthouse demonstrators, making use of the new legal options of creating ECs
4. 2 Infrastructures for EC's: electricity sharing. Investments in the technical innovations/solutions needed to realise a smart-grid alike energy sharing infrastructure.
5. 2 Infrastructures for EC's: heat/cold sharing. Investments in the technical innovations/solutions needed to realise 4th generation district heating & cooling schemes.