NEWS

Over the past year, the WeGenerate demonstration in Cascais has made significant progress towards establishing a renewable energy community that combines clean energy generation with social inclusion. Through extensive engagement with residents, investments in renewable energy infrastructure and the development of digital tools, the city has laid the foundations for community energy sharing in the Alcabideche neighbourhood.

 

A central achievement has been the creation of the social foundations for the future Energy Community. In February 2026, a co-creation session on energy literacy brought together residents of the social housing neighbourhood to explain how the initiative will work and encourage participation. This was complemented by more than 25 door-to-door visits carried out by Cascais Ambiente, with support from Cascais Envolvente, allowing project partners to answer residents' questions, collect the information required for participation and strengthen trust within the community.

 

These efforts resulted in 20 families confirming their participation in the Energy Community. The formal administrative and regulatory process to establish the community is now underway and, once completed, will enable participating households to begin sharing locally produced renewable electricity. The initiative builds on a wider programme of community engagement that has included public events, condominium meetings, the inauguration of the first photovoltaic systems installed on public buildings and continued outreach activities since the beginning of the project.

 

In parallel, Cascais has continued expanding the infrastructure that will support the Energy Community. Preparatory work and procurement have been completed for additional photovoltaic installations, battery storage systems and real-time energy display panels across public buildings. A new solar installation has also been added to Alto da Peça Primary School, increasing the renewable energy generation that will become available to the community. Once operational, the display panels will communicate renewable energy production, avoided CO₂ emissions and equivalent environmental benefits in an accessible way, helping to raise public awareness about the local energy transition.

 

Digital innovation has also advanced with the development of Cascais Solar, the municipality's Energy Community platform. Developed by IREC together with Cíclica, and with the participation of Cascais Municipality and LNEG, the platform will support the management of the Energy Community and facilitate interaction between participants.

 

Beyond local implementation, the Cascais demonstration has also contributed to knowledge sharing and policy discussions. Research carried out within WeGenerate has highlighted the potential of Renewable Energy Communities to simultaneously address decarbonisation, energy poverty and social cohesion, emphasising the importance of citizen participation in creating successful and inclusive initiatives. These findings have been presented at international scientific events and continue to inform new research publications. At national level, the project has also gained wider visibility through media coverage and its recognition as a finalist in the Portuguese "Ligar – Energia para Todos" award, which celebrates innovative solutions to tackle energy poverty.

 

Together, these achievements demonstrate how Cascais is combining community engagement, renewable energy infrastructure and scientific knowledge to create an inclusive model for the energy transition. With the regulatory process now progressing, the city is well positioned to launch energy sharing during the next phase of the project, bringing the benefits of locally generated renewable energy directly to participating households.