Grant Competition for Piloting the First Renewable Energy Communities in Moldova

Through this call for grants, UNDP Moldova aims to select two civil society organizations to pilot the implementation of the renewable energy communities concept.

The 2 selected organizations will benefit from a grant to mobilize potential members interested in creating a renewable energy community and provide them with all the necessary assistance both at the creation and registration stages and at the stage of equipping them with the necessary technical equipment.

Purpose and Objectives

• The purpose of this Grants Program is to train NGOs with experience in the energy field in piloting the concept of a renewable energy community. This goal will be achieved by achieving the following objectives:
  • Developing the internal capacities of selected NGOs in order to provide the necessary assistance to potential members interested in creating a renewable energy community.
  • Organization by selected NGOs of outreach, mobilization, consultation efforts of interested actors in support of the creation and operationalization of a renewable energy community

Funding Information

• Budget offered: 100,000 USD per grant
• The budget will cover three main components:
  • Capacity building and awareness-raising component for the establishment of at least one community per grant awarded;
  • The component of piloting the energy community concept (technical assistance and provision of equipment and services for the energy community selected by the selected NGO. Technical assistance refers to the provision of support in the development of document templates and annexes for the registration and operationalization of Energy Communities, i.e. – the statute for the Energy Community, the contract between the EC and the Distribution System Operators, the power purchase and performance agreement, the request letter to the DSO for verifying the possibility of creating the EC.
  • Administrative costs for the team of experts involved in the implementation of the grant
• Grant implementation period: 18 months.

Eligible Activities

• The selected NGOs will work at the local level and will provide the following activities:
  • Carrying out information and outreach campaigns for large-scale promotion of its benefits and the stages of creation and operation; the opportunity to benefit from support in creating an energy community,
  • Organizing local training activities on renewable energy communities: legal framework, forms of association, steps for creation, participation in the production of local clean energy, management of such an entity.
  • Pilot community selection – Following the information and outreach effort, an energy community will be selected (based on criteria approved by UNDP Moldova) at the initial stage.
  • Providing expertise and mentoring for the creation of the energy community, registration as appropriate, provision of necessary equipment (e.g. photovoltaic system, smart meter, batteries for energy storage); Technical assistance refers to providing support in the development of document templates and annexes for the registration and operationalization of Energy Communities, i.e. – the statute for the Energy Community, the contract between the CE and the Distribution System Operators, the energy purchase and performance agreement, the request letter to the DSO for verifying the possibility of creating the CE.

Eligibility Criteria 

• Legally registered association: Public Association or Local Action Group
• Minimum 3 years of proven activity of the applicant organization
• Previous experience in implementing community projects.

For more information, visit UNDP.