Since 2017, residents have been producing their own electricity.
The buildings have solar panels on their rooftops, paid for by the condominium owners. This page explains what is installed, where that energy goes and what comes next.
What is already in place
27.3 kWp on the rooftops
Panels on the condominium rooftops, installed in three phases since 2017. There are nine consumption points: the eight buildings and the garage.
Powers the common areas
The energy supplies the garages, lighting and circulation areas. It lowers the condominium's electricity bill, but does not yet go directly to each apartment.
Paid for by the owners
Around €30,000 invested by the condominium owners, with technical support from Coopérnico. In 2022, annual savings in the common areas were around €8,000, on a bill of about €30,000. [update]
Under way: another 39.13 kWp
An increase in installed capacity has been approved and work has already started. The equipment is arriving and installation is taking place in phases.
How we got here
The first panels, two sets of 1.5 kWp.
Second phase, with another 14.6 kWp.
Third phase, with another 9.7 kWp, reaching today's 27.3 kWp.
Collective self-consumption is formally established.
Current phase. Joining the European PVSmile project and increasing installed capacity, with another 39.13 kWp approved and being installed.
This is a collective self-consumption project. A renewable energy community is a separate legal entity and could be a path to discuss at the working session.
How it works, from the sun to the garage
The sun hits the panels
They produce most around midday and nothing at night.
It flows down through the building
It does not go to the grid. It stays within the condominium's installation.
It powers the common areas
Garages, lifts, and lighting for stairways and access areas.
You see it on the condominium's electricity bill
Lower costs in the common areas, less to split between everyone.
Do you live in the condominium but not own your home?
Decisions about the buildings are made at the owners' meeting, where tenants do not vote. That does not mean you cannot take part.
We want this project to belong to everyone who lives in the condominium, and how to make that happen is one of the things we will decide together.
Who supports this project
Coopérnico is a renewable energy cooperative and electricity supplier, owned by its members. It brings together more than 7,000 members, develops decentralised solar projects across the country and supports the creation of renewable energy communities.
In this condominium it provides technical support for the collective self-consumption project and coordinates the Portuguese PVSmile pilot.
coopernico.orgWhat PVSmile brings to this condominium
A European research project, running from November 2025 to October 2028, that follows nine community energy pilots in several countries. Alta de Lisboa is one of them.
The project does not decide anything on behalf of residents. It brings information and method; decisions remain with the people who live in the condominium.
PVSmile, Grant Agreement No. 101235645, funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe programme.
- Knowing what is happening on the rooftops. Tools that track how much is produced and consumed, and that alert you when a panel or inverter is performing below what it should.
- Studying the next step. Technical support to plan the increase in installed capacity, with the numbers worked out before any decision is made.
- Organising residents. Support to define who decides what and how information flows, plus a plan to include those who have been left out.
A research project, not a commercial offer
What you gain by taking part
- A European research project, with voluntary participation.
- Technical support and digital tools funded by the project, at no cost to participants.
- Information about the energy produced and consumed in the condominium.
- More active involvement in decision-making.
What this is not
- It is not a sale or a way to sign up customers.
- It does not change your electricity contract or your supplier.
- There are no costs for participants.
- It carries no obligations and you can stop taking part whenever you want.
An app to monitor your energy
During the project, a platform will be available where each participant can see how much has been produced and consumed, without depending on condominium meetings to get that information.
With an assistant that answers questions
The platform will include an assistant that answers questions in plain Portuguese about the rules of collective self-consumption and about your own data. It was designed specifically for people who are not experts in the field.
The platform is being developed within the project and, during the pilot, only an experimental version may be available.
If you charge your car in the garage
One of PVSmile's proposals is to study electric car charging in the garage. The goal is to understand whether charging at different times makes better use of the energy produced in the condominium and avoids consumption peaks.
What we ask of you
Permission to access charging data from your charging point: when each charge starts and ends and how much energy it uses. No data is collected about how the vehicle is used or about journeys.
What we don't ask of you
We don't ask you to change your routine. At this stage it is about observing and simulating scenarios. Any change to how you charge would only happen later and with your consent.
What we want to measure
How much of the energy produced stays in the condominium, how much consumption can be shifted to sunny hours and what effect that has on costs. The results are shared with participants.
How the data is handled
The data is processed by Coopérnico, as data controller, based on your consent and only for the purposes of the project. For technical analysis, it is also accessed by PVSmile's research partners INESC TEC, INESC ID and WATT-IS. It is not used for profiling, you can withdraw your consent at any time via rgpd@coopernico.org, and it is deleted no later than 5 years after the project ends. Before taking part you receive the consent form with all the details.
Two sessions, before the end of the year
Online information session
Open to all residents. We will share information about collective self-consumption and PVSmile's solutions, with time for questions.
In-person working session
For those who want to take part: how decisions are made, how information flows, how disagreements are resolved and how to make sure no one is left out.