What if the condominium buildings of the Bartók District could power not only their residents, but also the cafés, cultural hubs, community spaces and small businesses on their ground floors — using solar energy produced directly on their rooftops? This is the core mission of the Bartók District as one of the Driving Urban Transitions Partnership (DUT) funded Co-PED project’s eight European urban living labs: to test how a neighbourhood-level energy community can work in a dense city, linking homes with the vibrant cultural and community life at street level
Participants explored several central questions for the Bartók District:
- Which rooftops are technically suitable for PV in such a dense area?
- How can energy be shared fairly between households and ground-floor cultural or commercial users?
- Which organisational model (cooperative, association, or hybrid) best supports local investment and long-term trust?
- What is the first step for buildings that want to be evaluated or join a future community energy scheme?
Across all speakers, a common point emerged: community energy is both a technical and deeply social process — requiring steady dialogue, involvement, and collective decision-making before installations can happen.
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