In May 2025, oPEN Lab hosted a Local Policy Dialogue at the oPEN Living Lab Pamplona, in Spain. In a one-day workshop it brought together actors across government levels such as Navarre government, MVAU, and Pamplona City Council, as well as researchers, lawyers, and architects with expertise in collective energy, circular construction, and energy renovation.
The dialogue aimed to identify barriers and pathways to implement Positive Energy Neighbourhoods (PENs) and make them more viable and widespread in Spain.
Key outcomes included:
-Simplifying renovation subsidies by linking them to lifetime energy savings
-Enabling energy communities to legally participate in flexibility markets
-Formalising protocols between social services and citizen energy initiatives to identify and support vulnerable households
Participants also called for stronger incentives and clearer standards for circular construction, including certification for recycled materials and reduced permitting costs for prefabricated solutions.
