E-BUSCO is an innovative project designed to help companies in Spain, Greece, and Italy achieve a more seamless integration of renewable energy into their daily operations. Through a collaborative working strategy and the use of cutting-edge technologies, the initiative addresses the critical challenges of current photovoltaic energy, such as the collapse of prices due to surplus supply (energy cannibalization) and the limited use of available solar energy.
This proposal offers an effective response to these challenges: promoting cooperation between companies for the exchange of resources, including storage systems. This optimizes both the generation and consumption of clean energy. Thanks to this approach, E-BUSCO increases the profitability of renewables without the need to invest in costly expansions of the current electrical infrastructure.
The deployment of E-BUSCO involves the creation of three Energy Cooperation Hubs (ECH) spread across Spain, Greece, and Italy. In these hubs, 48 organizations will participate in real-life energy collaboration experiences, sharing assets and exploring flexible management methods. To support this process, three high-level digital tools have been designed and adapted to the specific characteristics of each hub: the Energy Sharing & Management Tool, the Decision Support Tool, and the Aggregation and Flexibility Tool.
Within each hub, energy diagnostics and flexibility audits will be carried out in order to identify opportunities for self-consumption and corporate efficiency. Nine training and awareness-raising sessions (three for each ECH) have also been scheduled to promote these cooperative models. The project will also define specific operational frameworks for each site, ensuring that the model is sustainable and easily replicable in other parts of Europe.
Finally, a strategic plan will be drawn up for the operation and scalability of the Hubs, accompanied by viable business models and regulatory proposals to facilitate their expansion on a European scale. These milestones seek to make energy collaboration a cornerstone for a more effective and sustainable energy transition in the European Union.
The project began in September 2025 and is scheduled for completion on August 31, 2028.
Project budget: €1,840,614.00
Activities
1.- Project management and coordination
The following activities will be carried out in this work package:
- Ensure the technical, administrative, and financial coordination of the project.
- Organize coordination and follow-up meetings.
- Develop performance monitoring systems.
- Manage mandatory reporting and relations with the Executive Agency.
2.- Design of the energy cooperation framework
The activities included in this work package are as follows:
- Assess the energy situation of each Energy Cooperation Hub (ECH), including audits of consumption, self-consumption, storage, and flexible demand.
- Identify regulatory barriers and opportunities through a White Paper that analyzes regulatory restrictions and administrative processes.
- Develop awareness-raising and initial training sessions at the hubs to improve understanding of the energy cooperation model.
- Define energy cooperation models, including roles, responsibilities, and operational agreements.
3.- Development and integration of digital tools
The development of this work package includes the following actions:
- Design and adapt three advanced digital tools: Energy Sharing & Management Tool, Decision Support Tool, and Aggregation and Flexibility Tool.
- Integrate the tools into the Energy Cooperation Hubs, ensuring their interoperability and technical stability.
- Validate its operation through controlled tests to fine-tune performance and accuracy.
4.- Demonstration, validation, and evaluation of Energy Cooperation Hubs
The scope of this work package includes the following interventions:
- Plan the demonstration phase in the three hubs (Spain, Greece, and Italy), defining operational strategies, technical adjustments, and usage protocols.
- Launch the actual demonstration, with companies operating in a cooperative environment, sharing resources, and applying self-consumption strategies.
- Assess the technical and economic impact by measuring energy efficiency, cost reduction, self-consumption, and grid stabilization.
- Validate results through participatory processes, with review by companies, local authorities, and key stakeholders.
5.- Exploitation and replication of the model
This work package is broken down into the activities detailed below:
- Develop the project's exploitation strategy.
- Define viable business models for Energy Cooperation Hubs.
- Prepare a comprehensive exploitation and replication plan.
- Develop energy policy recommendations.
6.- Dissemination and communication activities
The following tasks have been scheduled to complete this work package:
- Develop a comprehensive communication plan with communication materials and tools (website, newsletters, brochures, etc.), ensuring consistent and up-to-date communication.
- Incorporate creative profiles to improve the visualization of results through clear visual content, such as project videos.
- Promote local and regional campaigns to promote the cooperative energy model.
Partners
ECH
The Greek Energy Cooperation Hub (ECH) will focus on supporting SMEs within energy communities so that they can navigate this rapidly evolving context and test tools and solutions capable of restoring the economic viability of investments in new community-owned renewable energy plants operating under the net billing system in a wholesale market where prices can reach zero during daylight hours.
This involves collaboration between multiple types of actors, from energy communities and their national association to companies providing professional services and the SMEs that are the ultimate beneficiaries, in order to provide the necessary tools and solutions.
This approach aims to mitigate the impact of regulatory changes, such as the transition to net billing and the introduction of dynamic tariffs, ensuring continued profitability and an increase in renewable self-consumption. The Greek ECH will be supported by QUE as a technology provider and ELECTRA as a social cooperative that supports the development of energy communities in Greece.
EnGreen is collaborating with UNIONE MONTANA VALSESIA (UMV), a group of 26 small municipalities in rural Piedmont, Italy, to establish multiple Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) and promote local energy independence. This Alpine valley already has two RECs with around 100 users and 20 buildings equipped with photovoltaic installations. In addition, 10 new RECs are being developed that will connect an additional 500 users.
Although each CER will be independent, UMV will ensure coordination and interaction between them. The ECH will focus on SMEs, establishing mechanisms to differentiate residential energy consumption from business consumption. The Italian ECH of E-BUSCO will demonstrate how shared storage and flexibility can reduce grid disturbances, integrate more renewable energy without the need for grid investments, and increase the viability of business energy communities.
The Spanish Energy Cooperation Hub (ECH) will be developed in the agri-food sector of the Region of Murcia, through the ALIMER Group, an agricultural and livestock cooperative that brings together 1,750 small and medium-sized farmers. It includes horticultural producers, dairy companies, fresh and frozen product storage companies, and livestock farms, among others. It is a highly diverse business group with a range of activities, which facilitates the promotion of energy cooperation among its members.
ALIMER has existing and planned photovoltaic generation assets, as well as numerous consumption points that have demonstrated flexibility (irrigation pumps, feed mills, refrigeration system compressors, etc.). This sector is key to the energy transition and is highly relevant in the Region of Murcia. The hub will be supported by Voltiva Energy as an energy marketer, Bamboo Energy as a technology provider, and ALIMER as an agricultural cooperative.
The companies in the ALIMER group will participate at both the advanced and basic levels.
