Synthesis Report: Renewable Energy Communities in Malta

This report was produced by a group of Masters students at Wageningen University, on
behalf of the commissioner Friends of the Earth Malta. The project’s purpose is to identify
the opportunities and barriers for developing renewable energy communities in Malta
within the next 10-20 years, considering spatial, economic, societal, technical, and legal
feasibility aspects. Within the scope of this research, renewable energy communities are
conceptualised as legal entities which are based on voluntary participation and are
autonomous and effectively controlled by shareholders in the proximity of renewable
energy projects that are owned and developed by these legal entities.
Renewable energy communities can greatly benefit the currently heavily fossil-reliant
and monopolistic Maltese energy landscape. These community-focused electricity
systems can provide a multitude of societal, economic and environmental benefits, such
as contributing to Malta’s climate targets. Yet, attempts to establish renewable energy
communities have been unsuccessful thus far.
In order to understand these barriers and opportunities in the Maltese context, this report
utilizes various analyses as portrayed in the figure on the right. These were carried out on
a national level as well as in the regional contexts of the five mainland regions. The
conducted analyses provide insights into the various facets of the implementation of
renewable energy communities in Malta.

Synthesis Report: Renewable Energy Communities in Malta

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