Project duration: September 2024 – February 2025

Friends of the Earth Malta campaign on some of today’s most pressing environmental and social issues, by engaging the public directly through a wide range of diverse projects and activities and mobilising people to participate in decision-making processes.

The voluntary organisation strives to provide creative solutions to environmental and societal issues which are based on sound knowledge and information and continuously lobbies and works to influence the policy community towards a more just and sustainable society.

One of their main campaigns is dedicated to reducing the impact of climate change. Almost all of Malta’s CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions are attributable to the energy sector – in fact nearly 90% of energy in Malta still comes from fossil fuel sources. Energy demand is projected to increase, with gross electricity consumption increasing from around 2,500 GWh in 2018 to around 3,500 GWh by 2030. Investment in renewable energy, primarily rooftop photovoltaics (PV), has shifted some of that energy use to cleaner sources, from nearly 0% in 2010 to 8% of the total electricity supply in 2020, but the renewable energy transition is happening too slowly in Malta.

The Malta Environment Foundation is excited to be supporting Friends of the Earth Malta in promoting community energy gradually leading to setting up the first Renewable Energy Community in Malta in collaboration with the Malta Cooperative Federation. The funds will be used to outline the process of setting up a community, understand the opportunities and barriers, engage with the relevant stakeholders and create a pilot project to show the potential of energy communities locally.

The expected results are:

• The encouragement of the uptake of low carbon technology
• Increased awareness about the benefits to society of decreasing carbon emissions
• Research and innovation through the production of a full scoping report
• Institutional engagement and advocacy

“Friends of the Earth Malta believes in the power of community energy to increase the share of renewables in Malta and promote energy democracy! Thanks to this grant provided by the Malta Environment Foundation we will be able to move one step closer to our dream of setting up the first Renewable Energy Community in Malta. The grant will enable us to conduct research on the barriers and potential of community energy in Malta, and outline the steps for setting up an energy community in detail.”

Dr Suzanne Maas, Climate Campaign Coordinator, Friends of the Earth Malta