From sunlight to solidarity: how citizens in Portugal are powering change

In 2013, sixteen ordinary people in Portugal came together with an extraordinary idea: to take their savings and put them to work for the planet. They founded Coopérnico (Sustainable Development Cooperative), a renewable energy cooperative with one mission: create clean, community-owned energy and make the energy transition fairer for everyone.

Their vision was simple yet radical: energy should not be a privilege controlled by large corporations, but a common good shared by communities. What started with small rooftop solar projects for charities soon grew into a movement of 6,700 members, €2.4 million invested, and 45 solar systems lighting up schools, social organisations, and homes across Portugal.

This is not just a story about solar panels. It is about people choosing to write their own future.

But changing the energy system is not easy. From the beginning, Coopérnico had to fight to be seen and trusted. Banks would not lend to them. Policymakers treated them as if they were just another big energy company, ignoring their non-profit, community-based model.

And even today, Portuguese legislation still places obstacles in their way. Instead of encouraging Renewable Energy Communities, as European law requires, it allows outside companies to control them, leaving citizens with less voice and less power.

The irony is sharp: at a time when Europe needs more citizen-led solutions, communities like Coopérnico are still held back by outdated rules and a lack of political will.

These challenges don’t just affect the cooperative. They affect people and their daily lives.

Take Mr. João Jesus and his family. Living in a rural, damp house, they spent winters shivering, fighting mould and cold that worsened their health. His wife’s lung problems grew worse each year.

After Coopérnico, with support from a European project, renovated their home for energy efficiency, everything changed.

“Now my grandmother doesn’t cough as much anymore,” says Melanie, João’s granddaughter.

The family feels healthier, warmer, and more secure. Their story is proof that community-led energy is not only about kilowatts: it is about dignity, well-being, and hope.

The solution is already here: citizens working together for renewable, decentralised energy. Coopérnico and many other cooperatives across Europe are living proof that when people pool resources, knowledge, and solidarity, they can build a good life that doesn’t harm the planet.

But for these solutions to flourish, governments must act. They must:

• Create fair laws that distinguish community projects from large for-profit companies.
• Ensure local control of energy communities, as European directives demand.
• Support cooperatives with the right funding, partnerships, and recognition.

Everyone deserves to live in a home that is warm, dry, and powered by clean energy. Everyone has the right to be part of the transition, not just as consumers, but as active shapers of their community’s future. 

The lesson is clear: collective action works. From sixteen friends in Lisbon to thousands of members across Portugal, Coopérnico shows how citizens can power change when they are given the chance.

Coopérnico’s journey shows that the clean-energy transition is already being built from the ground up. But to match Europe’s ambitions, these citizen-led solutions need a policy framework that truly backs them. Rising energy costs and market volatility make this even more urgent, and while the EU’s Affordable Energy Action Plan sets out steps for a fair and sustainable energy system, too much attention still goes to large industries. The forthcoming Citizen Energy Package offers a chance to change that by putting communities at the heart of the transition. 

That is why ECOLISE fully supports the European federation of energy communities (REScoop) in calling for a dedicated Energy Communities Action Plan—one that provides clear measures and funding so Europe’s citizens can reach their full potential in producing and sharing locally generated and community-led renewable energy.

Because when communities rise, resilience grows. When people come together, democracy is strengthened. And when laws support—not block—citizens, the path to a fairer, sustainable future becomes real.

This story is part of the European Day of Sustainable Communities campaign. Follow the full content on our Instagram account!