How to join an energy community in 2025

Do you want to save on your electricity bill, reduce emissions and become an active part of the energy transition? One of the most concrete ways is to enter a unto renewable energy community (CER).

In Italy, CERs are growing rapidly: they bring together citizens, businesses and public bodies that decide to produce and share green energy, especially from photovoltaic systems. But how does membership work in practice? What are the requirements, the documents to submit and the costs to be incurred?

In this guide updated to 2025 you will discover step by step:

• what are energy communities and how do they work,
• what requirements are needed to participate,
• what documents are required,
• the membership procedure,
• the available costs and incentives,
• the alternatives if you can't join a CER.

What are renewable energy communities

Una renewable energy community (CER) is a local organization that produces energy from renewable sources and shares it among its members.

They can be part of it:

• private citizens,
• condominiums,
• businesses,
• public and private bodies.

The objective is twofold:

1. Increase theenergy self-consumption, reducing dependence on traditional utilities;
2. make the use of renewables, promoting environmental sustainability.

How CERs work

Within an energy community, there are two main roles:

• producers, which generate green energy (often through photovoltaic panels);
• consumers, which use shared energy.

The operation is governed by a few key principles:

• the energy produced is distributed among the members;
• any surplus is fed into the network;
• management is monitored in real time with digital systems that optimize consumption and reduce waste.

👉 Important: You can participate even without having a photovoltaic system, as a simple consumer.

Requirements for participating in an energy community

The main requirement is type geographical: all members of the CER must be connected to same primary cabin of the electrical grid.
This means that the participants' (POD) meters must be within the same area covered by that booth.

Requirements for citizens and condominiums

• Be the holder of an electricity supply contract (active meter).
• Have a POD compatible with the CER's primary cabin.

Requirements for manufacturers

Anyone participating as a manufacturer must own or install a photovoltaic system (or other renewable source) to be connected to the CER.
In this case, technical and administrative authorizations relating to the plant are also required.

Documents required to join a CER

The documentation varies depending on the role played within the community.

For consumers (individuals or condominiums)

• Personal data and tax code.
• Cadastral data of the property.
• Copy of the electric bill, to demonstrate the connection of the POD to the primary cabin.
• Bank details, necessary to receive any incentives.

For manufacturers

In addition to the documents listed above, you also need:

• technical data sheet of the photovoltaic system,
• authorizations and certifications of compliance,
• data related to the network connection.

Step-by-step procedure for joining a CER

Joining an energy community is a relatively simple process. Here are the main steps:

1. Find out about active CERs in your area: there are regional maps and portals that indicate the available communities.
2. Contact the CER of reference: each community has its own statutes and regulations, so it's important to know the specific requirements.
3. Choose the role: if you have a photovoltaic system you can participate as a producer, otherwise as a consumer.
4. Fill out the membership form: must be submitted together with the required documents.
5. Confirmation and activation: once the application is accepted, you officially become a member of the community.

Costs and incentives available in 2025

Costi

• Consumers: usually there is only a minimum contribution, similar to a membership fee.
• Producers: they must pay the GSE an investigation fee for connecting the system, calculated on the installed power.

Incentives

2025 confirms several measures to support CERs:

• non-repayable contribution up to 40% of the expenses to build a photovoltaic system connected to an energy community,
• incentive rate on shared energy, supplied by the GSE to the members of the CER, proportionate to the kWh actually produced and self-consumed.

These incentives make membership even more convenient, shortening investment return times.

Alternatives if you can't join a CER

The geographical constraint may exclude those who live outside the areas covered by an energy community. But that doesn't mean giving up photovoltaic.

An increasingly common solution is that of shared solar parks, which have no territorial limits.
Projects such as those developed by GridShare allow you to buy a share of production from large photovoltaic plants, benefiting from:

• of green energy at competitive costs,
• without having to install panels on your roof,
• in any case contributing to the national energy transition.

Conclusions

Enter a renewable energy community It means:

• save on the bill,
• reduce CO2 emissions,
• become an active part of a new, fairer and more sustainable energy model.

The process is simple: just comply with the geographical requirements, submit the necessary documentation and fill out the application for membership. In 2025, thanks to GSE incentives and non-repayable contributions, participating in a CER is even cheaper.

What if you're not in an area covered by a community? You can always join a project of shared photovoltaic, without territorial constraints, yet entering as a protagonist in the energy of the future.