3. Strengthening collective capacity

To create real and lasting change in our communities, we need more than just individual effort. We need to build collective capacity, the shared ability of citizens, NGOs, and policy makers to understand challenges, work together, and take action for the common good.

One of the first steps in strengthening our collective capacity is making sure that knowledge is accessible to everyone. Too often, topics like energy, planning, or governance are explained in a way that’s too technical or full of expert language. This creates a gap between those who “understand the system” and those who feel left out.

That’s why we talk about energy literacy for all. It means helping people understand how the energy system works, who makes decisions, and how they can take part.

Energy literacy doesn’t mean everyone has to become a scientist or engineer. It simply means having a clear understanding of key things like; what are renewable energy sources; how does the energy grid work; who decides about energy prices and infrastructure and how can communities produce their own energy?

When people understand how the system works, they can join discussions, ask the right questions, and even lead their own local projects, like installing solar panels, forming an energy cooperative, or joining local decision-making processes.

Learning doesn't just happen in classrooms or expert meetings. It also happens in everyday spaces, when people share ideas, ask questions, and build things together. To support this, we need the right tools and platforms that help people learn and take action, together.

Here are two simple but powerful approaches:

• Toolkits: These are practical guides that explain how to do something; for example, how to run a community energy project, how to organize a public meeting, or how to communicate with local government. Toolkits can be printed guides, short videos, or online resources. The key is that they are clear, practical, and easy to use.
• Shared learning platforms: These are spaces (online or in-person) where people come together to learn from each other. It could be a community workshop, a local learning group, a social media page, or an open forum. These platforms allow people to ask questions, share local knowledge, and support one another.

When we create spaces where knowledge is shared and accessible, people feel more confident. They are more likely to speak up, take part, and take initiative. This leads to stronger connections, more inclusive projects, and better outcomes for all.

Co-building refers to the process of developing capacities and systems together, with communities, institutions, and intermediaries working as equal partners. It moves beyond top-down training and instead emphasizes shared learning, mutual support, and lasting organizational capacity. There are two key approaches often used to support co-building:

Joint Capacity-Building programs: Refers to collaborative training initiatives that involve both community members and institutional actors (e.g., municipalities, cooperatives, NGOs, energy agencies) learning side by side, rather than separately. In contrast to traditional learning which often separates "experts" from "participants", joint programs break this divide and help foster mutual understanding between citizens and institutions, define shared language around goals and methods and develop practical collaboration skills such as negotiation, facilitation, or collective governance. Examples include the COMETS and SONNET projects where local actors and institutions co-designed energy labs and workshops to explore inclusive innovation (Caramizaru & Uihlein, 2020; Foulds & Robison, 2022).

Peer-to-Peer Exchanges: Refers to providing structured opportunities for communities, energy cooperatives, and local leaders to learn from each other, through site visits, storytelling, mentorship, or shared toolkits. Peer exchanges democratize knowledge by valuing local expertise, help scale best practices across regions and build confidence among new or hesitant communities. Examples include REScoop.eu network that runs peer mentoring across Europe to help new energy communities learn from experienced ones (REScoop, 2023).

The example from Križevci clearly shows how strong institutional support and cross-sector partnerships can lead to real community-driven change. When citizens, local government, utility companies, and national institutions work together, projects that once seemed ambitious become achievable. This kind of collaboration not only shares responsibility but also builds trust, which is essential for long-term success. The Križevci solar plant proves that partnerships across sectors are not only possible but necessary for effective energy transition.

We also see how policy and community learning can support each other in powerful ways. Early pilot projects created space for learning and helped people see the value of local energy solutions. As confidence grew, so did participation. Clear and supportive national policies, like guaranteed electricity prices, gave the project financial stability and encouraged more citizen investment. This back-and-forth between grassroots learning and institutional backing shows that when policies respond to local needs and when communities are ready to engage, real progress can happen.

In short, the Križevci case reminds us that institutional support is not just about funding or approvals. It’s about creating the right environment where people, ideas, and resources from different sectors can come together to build something greater than any group could achieve alone.

The example from Gabrovo shows how strong leadership from local government and the right partnerships can turn an ambitious idea into a working reality. From the beginning, Gabrovo Municipality played an active role and not just as a supporter, but as a co-creator of the project. By providing land, navigating legal and regulatory barriers, and working closely with citizens and NGOs, the municipality helped shape a model that could work in Bulgaria’s unique context.

Collaboration with Greenpeace Bulgaria, REScoop.eu, and other European partners brought in the technical knowledge, legal guidance, and inspiration needed to move from concept to launch. These cross-sector partnerships helped build both capacity and confidence. Citizens saw that they weren’t doing this alone and they had strong allies and clear support.

Gabrovo’s story also highlights the importance of learning and adaptation. The city and its partners organized training sessions, public events, and information campaigns that helped people understand the idea of energy communities. As knowledge grew, so did interest and trust. At the same time, the project fed valuable lessons back to national and EU policymakers about what’s needed to make energy communities work, especially in regions where this approach is still new.

In the end, Gabrovo reminds us that institutional support isn’t just about passing policies or securing funding. It’s about building an environment where people, public institutions, and civil society can collaborate, each bringing their own strengths to the table. When this happens, a community project becomes much more than just a solar plant. It becomes a model for how we can share power, literally and figuratively.