EVIDENCES OF THE PRINCIPLE OF INTERCOOPERATION IN THE ENERGY SECTOR. ENERGY COMMUNITIES UNDER THE LEGAL FORM OF PUBLIC INTEREST COOPERATIVES2

Abstract

Energy communities are considered at the European level as the cornerstone for promoting self-consumption, reducing poverty and achieving environmental, economic and social benefits for their members and communities. Energy communities can be either in the form of renewable energy or citizens and their regulatory Directives place particular emphasis on the importance of developing public-private partnerships. These public-private partnerships, when involving cooperatives and public bodies, in the context of an entity with the legal form of a cooperative, are a manifestation of the cooperative principle of cooperation among cooperatives. In both Spain and Portugal, public bodies, especially municipalities, can be members of an energy community, in which case the public interest cooperative is the most appropriate legal form for framing this public-private relationship.