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Colombia faces significant challenges in its energy system, which is highly dependent on hydroelectric generation, making it vulnerable to extreme weather events such as El Niño and La Niña phenomena. This vulnerability translates into risks to energy security, food production and access to water, especially affecting rural areas and the most disadvantaged communities. In this context, the Energy Communities Strategy, launched by the national government in 2024, is presented as a key initiative to move towards a low-carbon energy model that is resilient to climate change. The strategy enables communities, local businesses and authorities to collaborate in the generation, distribution and consumption of renewable sources, fostering energy self-sufficiency and reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

This working paper expands existing knowledge on Energy Communities by going beyond the provision of electricity and proposing a comprehensive model that links energy to food and water security through the water-energy-food nexus. This approach recognizes the interdependence of these resources and seeks to optimize their use, reducing pressures on ecosystems and ensuring sustainable social and environmental benefits. The joint management of water, energy and food allows solutions to be planned that are adapted to local climate risks, incorporating factors such as geography, vulnerability and climate variability. Thus, Energy Communities become mechanisms for climate adaptation and mitigation, promoting sustainable practices and strengthening the autonomy of communities faced with a changing climate.

Key Findings:

  • This working paper proposes the Water-Energy-Food Nexus as a frame work for implementing the Energy Communities Strategy in Colombia. It is presented as an integrating axis for coordinating sectors and institutions with territories and their communities in the construction of a new low-carbon, climate-resilient energy model. This model should be understood as a sociocultural and economic process of transformation.
  • In the context of the Just Energy Transition and climate change, Energy Communities in Colombia play a key role. Their contributions include decarbonizing the energy matrix, expanding access to electricity for vulnerable communities, and strengthening the country’s climate resilience.
  • Three elements are key to the design of Energy Communities: climate integration, community strengthening, and the development of community business models. These elements must ensure that communities plan solutions with a long-term vision that not only guarantees their energy security but also water and food security. As a result, benefits are generated for people and for the conservation and sustainable use of nature, which is also understood as the source of energy itself.

Cover image by Juliana Durán/WRI Colombia