COME RES aims to facilitate the market uptake of RES in the electricity sector by supporting, with a set of specific activities, the implementation of the provisions for renewable energy communities (RECs) as defined in the new Renewable Energy Directive to be transposed in 2021. Taking a multi- and transdisciplinary approach, COME RES aids the development of RECs in nine European countries (BE, DE, IT, LV, NL, NO, PL, PT, SP). It covers different socio-technological systems including community PV, wind (onshore), storage and integrated solutions. The countries selected range from pioneers that have gained broad experience of community energy (CE) to countries that are just beginning to look at CE. COME RES analyses legal, socioeconomic, spatial and environmental characteristics, and the reasons for the slow deployment of RECs in selected target regions. Stakeholder desks consisting of the project partners and committed community, market and policy actors in each country take on the operational tasks. Both overall and specific objectives will be reached by i) analysing the potentials, barriers and drivers for RECs in the target regions, ii) carrying out stakeholder dialogues, iii) developing regional action plans and business-model proposals for target regions, iv) examining good/best practice cases that are transferable to specific local, regional and national contexts, v) initiating transfers of best practice solutions via policy labs supported by capacity development and training and vi) developing a renewable energy community platform. The consortium synchronises project activities with the transposition/implementation of the Clean Energy Package and its provisions for RECs in policy labs. Policy lessons with validity across Europe will be drawn and recommendations proposed. Over 85 stakeholders and market actors have provided letters of support expressing their commitment to support the project and implement its results.

The flexibility of the industrial electricity demand has been identified as a potential that through innovative business models can facilitate further growth of variable renewable energy, while reducing the industrial electricity costs and contributing to the European energy policy goals. In this project the large industry is working with the renewable energy community to identify and implement business models for supplying variable renewable electricity to industrial users with flexibility in their demand, creating win-win situations. Several variations of the business models will be described covering different options like on and off-site renewable energy production. The business models will be adapted to 5 industrial sectors (Chemicals, non-ferrous metals, cold storage, steel, and water treatment) and 6 target countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and UK). Tools will be developed to facilitate adoption of the business models: Model contracts adapted to the target countries and the different business models and a methodology that assesses the flexibility in industrial units and its value within the business models. The methodology will be transferred to third parties and will be applied in 6 case studies covering all target sectors and countries. Recommendations for improvements in the regulatory and market framework will be formulated and promoted. A top-down and a bottom-up methodology will be used to quantify the potential for further cost-effective grid integration of variable renewable electricity by the exploitation of the industrial electricity demand flexibility. The use of a sophisticated power system model and detailed analysis will provide reliable data on the impact the policy recommendations could have. An ambitious campaign will be carried out for engaging the target groups in direct action implementing the business models and informing the interested actors about the project activities and results.