A few months in, and COPÉR — the Community of Practice for Renewable Energy Sharing — is already buzzing. Our first three evenings brought together over 120 people: neighbours, municipal folks, business owners, grid experts, researchers, and plenty of curious citizens. Turns out we’re not the only ones excited about sharing energy!
People are ready to share
One thing became crystal clear at our first meetings: people want to be part of the energy transition, not just watch it happen. There’s real curiosity around Local Electricity Communities and Virtual Consumption Networks — new ways for neighbours to produce and share renewable energy together.
Sure, there are questions about the technical, legal, and financial nitty-gritty. But honestly, the biggest takeaway was simpler than that: sharing energy starts with sharing a conversation. Communities aren’t built by spreadsheets — they’re built by people showing up, talking, and trusting each other.
And now: real projects!
COPÉR isn’t just conferences, it’s already sparking action. Thanks to a call for projects with the Future Urban Society Innovation Booster (supported by Innosuisse), two local projects just got the green light, each with CHF 22,500 to bring their ideas to life. Both projects are exactly what COPÉR is about: turning good conversations into real, replicable projects.
TOURNESOL
Over in the Vorzier neighbourhood of Martigny, residents will get hands-on help (workshops, open-source tools, the works) to build their very own local energy community from the ground up.
GovLab
This project is inventing a new kind of role: the Community Energy Steward, someone whose job is to guide local groups through the human and technical sides of setting up an energy community with an open digital toolkit anyone can reuse.
