Cleanwatts and the Azorean company Kinergy will implement the first Renewable Energy Community (REC) in the Azores.
The initiative is being promoted by Ribeira Grande Town Hall and the Coimbra-based climate tech company hopes it will be “the start of the energy transition in the Azores too”. Maria João Benquerença, Director of Energy Communities at Cleanwatts, says, “It’s a joy to present the first Energy Community in the archipelago after having been a pioneering company in the creation of RECs in mainland Portugal.” For her, this community in the Azores has the special advantage of being “based on investments that had already been made by the municipality, not implying investment by the municipality, but simply the valorization of existing resources and the sharing of their benefits by the community.”


The CER will be created from the photovoltaic capacity previously installed by the municipality, to produce renewable energy in public buildings, whose investment was 85% co-financed through the Azores 2020 program, to increase the energy efficiency of public buildings and reduce energy bills. In this way, the REC will make it possible to make the most of the investment already made by the municipality by allowing the surplus (energy produced but not consumed locally) to be shared by nearby REC members, allowing savings to be made on energy bills. The municipality will now identify the 30 or so families who could be part of this community and thus benefit from shared, clean energy at a reduced rate.
The mayor of Ribeira Grande, Alexandre Gaudêncio, points out that “this CER follows on from the investment made by the municipality with the installation of photovoltaic panels on public buildings.”
“The idea, from now on, is to share the surplus from renewable energy production with the community. The aim is to reduce the energy bills of everyone who joins the community,” he said, adding that he intends to “implement the same model in industrial zones as a way of attracting new companies to the municipality.”
Cleanwatts is a climate tech company focused on improving society’s relationship with energy where it is needed most: locally.
By simplifying, amplifying, and accelerating the energy transition for local communities, the company is tackling the most urgent trilemma of our time: decarbonizing, strengthening energy security, and reducing high energy costs.

in Diário dos Açores, Osvaldo Cabral-director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance)  at California State University, Fresno–PBBI thanks the sponsorship of the Luso-American Development Foundation from Lisbon, Portugal (FLAD)