ACM: Energy-sharing offers opportunities for energy communities and apartment buildings that generate sustainable energy

Apartment buildings (including condominiums) with shared solar panels as well as energy communities that collectively invest in solar panels or wind turbines are able to benefit from energy-sharing. This is one of the conclusions of an analysis of the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM), which was published today. As energy-sharing requires multiple contracts with different prices, energy-sharing does not, at the moment, seem to be suitable for all households.

Energy communities are groups of people or organizations that collectively invest in the local generation of sustainable energy, for example using solar panels or wind turbines. Under the current legal framework, energy communities can only distribute their generated energy among their members using a licensed supplier. New energy legislation will enable energy communities to share the generated energy directly with the households that are connected. Energy-sharing will also become available for apartment complexes with shared solar panels as well as for households that want to share their “excess” solar power with households without solar panels.

Consuming energy when it is generated

Energy-sharing involves that the energy giver (the one generating the sustainable energy) is linked administratively to an energy receiver. The receiver consumes the power the moment it is generated. Energy-sharing can be financially interesting if market participants are able to shift their energy consumption to moments when energy is shared. Energy communities can organize this, for example, through a common charging area, with a neighborhood battery, or smart software to regulate their devices. Energy-sharing can also be of interest for households that are able to shift their energy consumptions to moments when sustainable energy is generated, for example with heat pumps and electric vehicles.

Manon Leijten, Member of the Board of ACM, adds: “Energy-sharing is an innovative development that fits in the energy transition, and must be given a chance to get off the ground. It gives energy communities the opportunity to collectively consume power generated by shared solar panels or wind turbines. Energy-sharing also offers opportunities for apartment complexes with shared solar panels.”

Multiple contracts and prices

To order to be able to share energy, the energy giver and the energy receiver need to take out multiple contracts: an energy-sharing contract, a delivery contract with an energy supplier for moments when no energy can be shared, and a feed-in contract for energy that is not consumed at the time of generation. Households that share energy have to deal with different prices for sharing, delivery, and feeding into the grid. Also, it is not certain in advance when and how much electricity will be shared.

Consumers can hire a company that helps them in facilitating energy-sharing. In addition, households can use smart software, for example, to regulate their electric vehicles or heat pumps in such a way that they will predominantly consume power when shared energy is available.

ACM regulates prices, but not the prices for energy-sharing

If energy-sharing is enshrined in law, ACM will make a sample contract available that consumers can use when taking out energy-sharing contracts. ACM does not conduct oversight over any agreed-upon price or other arrangements in the energy-sharing contracts between energy givers and receivers. ACM does regulate the prices that energy suppliers charge for the delivery of electricity and for feeding electricity into the grid. This has been laid down in law.

See also

• 03-04-2025 Energy-sharing: what opportunities does it offer, and what is ACM’s role? (in Dutch)