Stories
Success story: Changing La Palma’s energy system from the bottom up
Community energy is key to action on the climate crisis. It can empower people, boost local economies, and reinvigorate communities. Community-led initiatives play an important role in the transition towards a 100% renewable and just energy future. Success stories of community energy projects can be found all over the world. At REScoop.eu we want to highlight these stories to further accelerate the movement towards a cleaner and democratic system. This month, we explored how an energy cooperative in La Palma aims to achieve energy sovereignty in this Canary island, Spain.
Commitment to the energy transition
La Palma, often known as La Isla Bonita (the beautiful island in Spanish), is a volcanic ocean island, and thus, a paradise for hikers and geologists. With over 84,000 population, the island’s economy is highly reliant on tourism and banana production. Like many other islands, La Palma has significant renewable energy potential but remains highly dependent on expensive fossil fuel imports, which account for 90% of its electricity generation.
In 2014, a group of islanders decided to start working towards a different energy model, based on local renewable production, energy savings and energy efficiency. The initiative promoted a manifesto for La Palma’s energy transition that was widely supported – the 14 municipalities of the island signed it – and sowed the seeds of Energía Bonita, the first energy cooperative created in the island.
Education as a pillar for energy sovereignty
Today, Energía Bonita counts 281 members (261 individuals and 20 associations) who share a common vision: to produce and consume renewable energy managed and owned by islanders, and learn how to reduce their energy consumption. Their journey began with the installation of eight solar projects, with a combined capacity of 565 kW. Three of these installations are already producing energy, while the remaining five are set to start in the upcoming period.
All are located on school rooftops, a deliberate choice. “Rooftops of schools are perfect because they tend to be large and located in the urban centres, providing the opportunity to many potential members to join [Spanish law allows for energy sharing only within a radius of two kilometres from the production site]. We also believe it is a good opportunity for educating young people about the importance of renewable energy and the power of community organisation,” said Nuria Albet Torres, co-founder and board member of Energía Bonita.
In these settings, schools keep part of the energy produced, and the rest is shared among the cooperative members.
When cheap energy isn’t the main motive
Due to highly subsidised energy bills – sometimes offering up to a 60% discount for vulnerable households – lower energy prices cannot be the main incentive to join Energía Bonita. Instead, the cooperative’s main selling points are energy sovereignty and clean energy. “We are no longer passive consumers waiting for what the market can offer us, we are here to solve problems and do our part to make a better world,” explained Nuria.
In line with this philosophy, the cooperative created an energy savings pilot group in 2025 where members explore and test creative, hands-on approaches to reduce their energy use. The group started by measuring the energy consumption of their household devices to learn about which devices consume the most energy, and then discussed possible measures for reducing the energy consumption. For example, by installing a timer on the water boilers, some members were able to reduce their electricity bill significantly. One motivated member even tried resorting to cold showers, although this is definitely not a solution for everyone.
Energía Bonita also seeks to tackle energy poverty in the island, ensuring access to clean energy for everyone. “We have already raised €1,300 for our solidarity fund through a campaign. We want to use this money to pay for the membership fee/social capital contribution of interested households that may not have the means,” Nuria noted. Currently, becoming a member costs €100 to already make it as accessible as possible.
Energía Bonita also collaborates with the social services of municipalities to explore how they can support the fight against energy poverty. In addition, they participate in a roundtable of regional stakeholders that aim to eradicate energy poverty in the island. Together, they plan to create protocols to refer citizens in vulnerable situations to the cooperative, allowing them to benefit from the services provided and the community itself.
Bureaucracy - a persistent stumbling block on the way to clean energy
Without an existing legislation setting a level-playing for energy communities to compete in the energy market with large energy suppliers, Energía Bonita is confronted with several challenges. The biggest hurdle for the cooperative has been opaque and slow bureaucratic processes at various levels. For example, solar panels installed in some schools cannot yet be connected to the electrical system because the buildings’ existing electricity installations need renovation. Such delays can lead to loss of installation subsidies, forcing the energy community to look for alternatives, such as a connection point outside of the schools. Such solutions are however not available for all installations, so in some cases the cooperative has to wait for the schools to update their electrical installations even though the panels are already installed.
Energía Bonita members also have to wait months, or even years, before they can start consuming electricity, which represents a big loss of money for the cooperative. “Many actors and elements are blocking us, including random and untransparent holdups or mistakes,” Nuria summarised. For example, the community doesn’t get the network capacity they ask for, they are asked to pay for grid cables that will end up being property of the distribution system, or it takes a huge amount of time to set up the collective self-consumption scheme in the distribution system operator’s system. Once it is in place, invoices might have errors due to insufficient integration of the self-consumed energy into the members’ bills. “It is pure madness what they are putting us through,” Nuria concluded.
Reflecting on these obstacles, Nuria said: “We need legislation that puts energy communities in a position to compete with the big players, which is the essence of the EU directives, but has not yet translated into reality. We also need laws that would force all energy market actors to collaborate and not delay the execution of community energy projects, as it happens now.”
Cooperative ideas that surpass barriers
Energía Bonita has brought back the authentic role of a cooperative in La Palma. Despite the presence of numerous banana cooperatives in the Canary Islands, these organisations do not necessarily follow the cooperative principles, and locals often associate the term cooperative to their top-down way of working. “Our members are often surprised by how many people show up at our annual general meeting and the way we take decisions together,” Nuria pointed out.
Looking ahead, Energía Bonita will continue educating people and producing citizen-led energy by finishing the five pending installations, increasing the activity of their working groups, and encouraging energy savings through collective purchases.
Thanks to a grant from the European Energy Communities Facility, they will also explore the possibility of setting up an electric car sharing scheme, aiming to transform mobility on the island, which is currently highly reliant on private vehicles. Through this project, the cooperative aims to democratise access to electric mobility, with citizens playing a leading role and directly benefitting from the reduction of the island's carbon footprint. This will be another step toward energy sovereignty on the island, Energía Bonita’s core mission.
