EDP Energia Solidária is supporting 13 social and environmental projects across 13 districts
- The programme focuses on vulnerable, sparsely populated areas.
- Renewable energy communities, inclusive mobility workshops, urban gardens and climate literacy are among the initiatives supported.
- The 2025/2026 edition represents an investment of around one million euros and strengthens the model of mentoring and on-the-ground support.
- Projects that teach communities to reduce energy consumption, transform bicycles into tools for inclusion, create renewable energy communities or invest in urban gardens to bring different generations together.
A project bringing together researchers from NOVA University and local associations to tackle energy poverty in vulnerable neighbourhoods of Lisbon, using technologies such as ethical artificial intelligence. A community solar scheme that will share energy with vulnerable neighbours in Évora. And a creative hub in the heart of Porto for sharing tools and carrying out repairs, to reduce waste and isolation among older people and create opportunities for young people at risk of exclusion. These are some of the initiatives selected for the 2025–26 edition of EDP Energia Solidária, a programme through which the EDP Foundation will support 13 new social and environmental projects in Portugal.
These proposals cover urban and rural communities, vulnerable neighbourhoods and sparsely populated areas, reaching geographically dispersed municipalities such as Pampilhosa da Serra, Évora, Braga, Tavira, Lisbon, Amadora and Oleiros. Projects supported include renewable energy communities, inclusive mobility workshops, energy and climate literacy programmes, urban agriculture projects, material reuse initiatives, and capacity-building for young people and those in situations of vulnerability.
The 2025–26 edition marks a new phase. EDP Energia Solidária will now be held every two years, allowing for more in-depth monitoring of projects, from the application stage through to implementation, via mentoring, training and the involvement of EDP volunteers. The aim is to enhance the sustainability of the projects, so as to ensure a more lasting impact on communities.
‘Against a backdrop of profound social, environmental and energy transformation, it is essential to invest in projects capable of generating a positive and structural impact on communities. This new edition of EDP Energia Solidária reflects an ever-growing ambition: we do not simply wish to fund projects, but also to create the conditions for them to grow, scale up and become agents of a fairer and more inclusive energy transition. We believe that energy can – and should – be a force for social cohesion. These projects help turn this belief into tangible results, devising solutions to meet the specific needs of local communities’, says Vera Pinto Pereira, Chair of the EDP Foundation.
This edition’s jury, presided by Vera Pinto Pereira, included António Vidigal (energy consultant and former chairman of EDP Inovação), Filipe Santos (dean of the Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics and chairman of the EDP Foundation Board of Trustees), Joana Balsemão (councillor at Cascais City Council and member of the EDP Foundation Board of Trustees), Júlia Seixas (pro-rector of NOVA University Lisbon, specialising in Sustainability), Margarida Couto (partner at Vieira de Almeida & Associados, vice-president of Rede Capital Social, and member of the EDP Foundation Board of Trustees) and Martim Salgado (head of the Social Impact Coordination Office and administrator of the EDP Foundation).
Created in 2004, the EDP Energia Solidária programme has supported more than 430 projects across the country, representing an accumulated investment of more than 20 million euros and benefiting more than 1.5 million people. Since 2023, the programme has taken on an international dimension, supporting projects in Spain and Brazil aimed at promoting a fair energy transition.
