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Minoan Energy organized a highly constructive event on Wednesday, 1 November, in collaboration with the European Federation of Energy Communities Rescoop.eu and ELECTRA Energy, at the Arkalohori Conference Centre. This was the third workshop held by the Community within the framework of the European Programme “Local Ownership of Power”, in which it participates. The workshop aimed to:

• present the Community’s projects and immediate plans
• mobilize new members to support the Community’s activities
• strengthen the Community through the participation of additional municipalities
• promote gender equality within the Community’s actions
• design the Community’s roadmap

Following the welcome address by Minoan Energy President Mr. Giannopoulos, the floor was given to Ms. Antonia Proka from Rescoop.eu and Ms. Ioanna Aggelaki from ELECTRA Energy, who delivered a brief presentation of the European project LifeLOOP. This was followed by another presentation by Mr. Dimitris Katsaprakakis, Professor at the Hellenic Mediterranean University and founding member of the Community. Dimitris spoke about Crete’s comparative advantages in terms of its energy potential (wind, solar, biomass), the net‑metering projects already in operation, and those currently underway with European funding in collaboration with partners from Greece and Europe. Taking advantage of the presence of municipal representatives, he called for their support to strengthen the Community’s voice and reinforce the advocacy framework needed to overcome bureaucratic and institutional barriers faced by Energy Communities.

In their brief remarks, representatives of the Municipalities of Heraklion, Archanes‑Asterousia, Viannos, and Hersonissos highlighted energy as a major issue, with its cost becoming increasingly unpredictable. They stressed the need for municipal buildings and infrastructure to be powered by renewable energy and emphasized the importance of municipalities participating in Energy Communities, setting an example for their citizens. They also underlined the social dimension of Energy Communities, which demonstrate how citizens, collectively, can respond to major challenges of our time—such as energy. Particular interest was shown in the flagship project Crete Valleys, in which Minoan Energy participates, and the significant energy benefits it will bring to many regions of Crete.

The most engaging part of the event followed, with participants divided into four discussion groups. With the support of a facilitator, they identified obstacles and proposed solutions in the areas of:

• technology and financing, facilitated by Dimitris Katsaprakakis
• organization and coordination of the Community’s working groups, facilitated by Sofia Pelekanaki and Chrysoula Iakovopoulou
• participation of municipalities and the Region, facilitated by Antonis Kozyrakis
• activation and equal participation of members, facilitated by Ioanna Aggelaki

Participants agreed that the interactive process revealed many improvement actions that Minoan Energy can implement across various areas. It is worth noting that the outcomes of this workshop will shape a roadmap that will help monitor the implementation of the proposals made, as foreseen by the LifeLOOP project.

A particularly positive aspect of the evening was the presence of more than twenty students from the Hellenic Mediterranean University, who contributed significantly to the development of proposals during the group discussions. An open invitation was extended to them—not only to join Minoan Energy (without paying the symbolic membership fee), but also to undertake their thesis or postgraduate research within the Community’s projects and, potentially, to work with the Community in the future.

Special thanks are due to Antonia Proka (Rescoop.eu) and Ioanna Aggelaki (ELECTRA Energy) for coordinating the event, organizing the discussion groups, and contributing meaningfully to drawing out the valuable proposals submitted by participants.