Major achievement for the Irish pilot

Across the Dingle Peninsula, a rural community is working hard to meet modern energy demands, tackling issues like network congestion and the increasing pressures of electrification. Through the ENPOWER pilot, local businesses, farms, households and transport providers have come together to explore smarter, more flexible ways of using and producing energy. Tourism providers and farmers are now generating renewable power and using flexible technologies through the Engaged Citizen Renewable Platform to cut costs and carbon. New data‑driven insights help the community understand when and how energy is used. Most importantly, residents are stepping into the role of “prosumers” — not just consuming energy, but actively contributing to a cleaner, more resilient energy future for the peninsula.

The peninsula has taken a major step forward on its journey toward community‑led climate action, with the successful establishment of five new Sustainable Energy Communities (SECs). These new SECs build on the strong foundation of three existing communities, marking a powerful surge in local participation, leadership, and collective energy action.

Over the past 18 months, the ENPOWER Irish pilot has worked closely with households, farms, tourism businesses and local stakeholders across the peninsula. Through workshops, open days, one‑to‑one engagements, digital tools and targeted campaigns, communities were supported to understand their energy use, explore renewable options, and take practical steps toward reducing emissions and strengthening local energy resilience.

As a result of this sustained engagement, the following new SECs have now been formally registered with SEAI:

• Dún Chaoin SEC 
• Castlegregory SEC 
• Fionn Trá SEC 
• Cloghane / Brandon SEC 
• Inch SEC

In addition, the established West Kerry Dairy Farmers and Tourism & Hospitality SECs have been further activated and expanded through the ENPOWER Engaged Platform, which has supported farms and businesses in tracking energy actions, exploring solar PV, reducing food waste, and participating in shared EV charging and other pilot activities.

Community interest has been very encouraging. Across 2024–2025, more than 350 people took part in ENPOWER workshops, events and consultations covering solar PV, energy efficiency, food‑waste‑to‑gas systems, mobility, and community‑owned renewable projects. Farmers, tourism providers and residents alike contributed valuable insights, shared data, and explored new technologies to build a more resilient future for the region.

This momentum demonstrates what is possible when communities are supported with clear information, trusted guidance and easy‑to‑use digital tools. The Dingle Peninsula is now home to eight active SECs, each strengthening local capacity to cut energy costs, reduce emissions, and participate in Ireland’s clean energy transition.

The ENPOWER project will continue working with communities throughout 2025 to support energy planning, build capacity and explore opportunities for collective investment. While ENPOWER helped spark this transformation, the real legacy will continue through the SECs themselves — local groups now equipped to lead, organise, and sustain energy action far into the future.