Earlier this week, ASMAL, a new photovoltaic project by Citizenergy featured platform Coopérnico, was launched and presented to interested investors across Europe and beyond on the Citizenergy site. The project, seeking €53,750 of investment from the crowd, is set to produce 82000 kWh per year of solar energy. It seems interested investors will have to wait for another opportunity though - in just four hours the over €50,000 needed was achieved! Coopérnico's previous investment project of a similar value only took about a week to reach full funding.

The Algarve, Portugal’s sunniest region and the setting of this latest project, has been at the centre of controversy as a result of rights being granted to oil and gas prospectors from various national and international consortia. Community initiatives have not only been very active in demanding more information and transparency in the face of this threat, they have also been pushing for policy that leads the way towards sustainable energy production via renewables.

The strong involvement the people in promoting such production projects is understood by Nuno Brito Jorge, President of Coopérnico’s Board, as “a clear statement of citizens against plans to expand oil and gas in Portugal and in favor of a new energy paradigm focused on citizen participation, renewables, a low carbon society and transparency.” The success of the ASMAL project, launched in partnership by a third sector organisation of the same name that promotes mental health in Algarve, can be seen as a sign of high levels of civic empowerment.

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