APEEN

What APEEN does

APEEN – Associação Portuguesa de Economia da Energia (APEEN – Portuguese Association for Energy Economics) is a private non-profit professional association founded in 2015 and headquartered at the Department of Economics, Management, Industrial Engineering and Tourism (DEGEIT) at the University of Aveiro, Portugal. It is the official Portuguese affiliate of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE) and serves as the primary national forum for debate, research dissemination, and professional networking among researchers, academics, policy makers, and industry professionals in the energy economics field. The association has 16 employees and operates in Portuguese and English, with an organizational governance structure consisting of a board of directors, general assembly, supervisory board, and advisory board drawn from leading Portuguese universities and energy companies.

APEEN's core offerings are not commercial products but membership services, annual conferences, the ME3 (Meeting on Energy and Environmental Economics) series, and the annual Young Researcher Award. Members gain access to reduced-price conference attendance, research dissemination platforms, integration into a national and international professional network through IAEE affiliation, and participation in governance. The association generates revenue exclusively through annual membership fees (€50 Individual, €25 Student, €90 IAEE-Portugal); institutional membership fees are not publicly disclosed. Distribution is direct via the apeen.pt website, email mailing list, and in-person events. Technology infrastructure is minimal: a WordPress-based bilingual website serves as the primary digital platform for member communications, event registrations, and publication dissemination; there are no proprietary software products, apps, or APIs.

APEEN's strategic posture emphasizes partnership-led growth rather than commercial scaling. It maintains core alliances with IAEE, AEEE (Spain), GOVCOPP, GAPEER, and the University of Aveiro, and has expanded its engagement with European policy initiatives including the Energy Poverty Advisory Hub (EPAH) and the JustWind4All project. The association has signed the Joint Declaration on Energy Transition alongside 21 Portuguese associations, signaling institutional participation in national energy policy discourse. Its geographic reach spans Portugal, Spain (via co-organized Iberian Congress on Energy Economics), and Brazil (via ELAEE participation), with IAEE affiliation providing global linkage.

Name

APEEN

Legal name

APEEN – Associação Portuguesa de Economia da Energia

Website

https://apeen.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

APEEN is a Portuguese non-profit professional association founded in 2015 and affiliated with the IAEE, serving as the national forum for energy economics research, networking, and policy debate among academics, students, regulators, and energy industry professionals in Portugal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Aveiro

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

APEEN is a non-profit professional association that serves as the Portuguese affiliate of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE). It provides membership services to individuals and organizations interested in energy economics, organizes annual conferences, ME3 meetings, webinars, and award programs, and disseminates members' research through its website and publications. The association facilitates national and international exchange between researchers, policymakers, academics, and industry professionals in the field of energy economics.

Product overview

APEEN (Associação Portuguesa de Economia da Energia) is a professional association serving as the Portuguese affiliate of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE). The association does not offer commercial products or software; instead, it provides membership services including reduced-rate conference and seminar access, research dissemination, networking opportunities, and participation in general assembly meetings. APEEN also organizes the Young Researcher Award, annual conferences, and ME3 meetings on energy and environmental economics, along with facilitating international contacts through the IAEE network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annual APEEN Conference Annual flagship conference of APEEN that serves as a national platform for the dissemination of energy economics research, bringing together researchers, policymakers, and industry professionals. Includes paper presentations, panel discussions, and student presentation awards. Target audience: academics, researchers, professionals, and graduate students in energy economics.
• ME3 Meetings (Meeting on Energy and Environmental Economics) International meeting on energy and environmental economics, co-organized with GOVCOPP and IAEE. Provides a scientific forum for presentations of research papers, with IAEE student prizes awarded. Target audience: international energy and environmental economics researchers and students.
• APEEN Young Researcher Award Annual award program with a €1,000 monetary prize that recognizes scientifically relevant research work in Energy Economics carried out by young researchers. Includes an open submission process and formal recognition at the APEEN Annual Conference. Target audience: young researchers in energy economics.
• APEEN Webinars (co-organized with partners) Online webinars and training courses on topics such as energy poverty, demand-side management, market design, and the European Green Deal. Co-organized with international partners (EPAH, GAPEER, Bureau Veritas, Ordem dos Economistas). Target audience: members, researchers, and professionals in energy economics.
• Publications and Research Bibliographies Annual bibliographies of members' research works published on the APEEN website, plus curated energy economy indicators developed in partnership with PORDATA. Target audience: academics, researchers, and the broader energy economics community.
• Sheffield European Green Deal Training Course Online training course on the European Green Deal, organized with Bureau Veritas, comprising six two-hour modules taught by specialist instructors. Target audience: professionals seeking structured training on European Green Deal policy and challenges.
• Seminar on Energy Markets and Energy Transition Seminar on energy markets and energy transition held jointly with the Order of Economists and Order of Engineers. Target audience: economists, engineers, and energy market professionals.
• EEIC – Iberian Congress on Energy Economics Biennial/periodic Iberian Congress on Energy Economics co-organized by APEEN with its Spanish counterpart AEEE. Provides a cross-border Iberian platform for energy economics research dissemination. Target audience: Iberian (Portuguese and Spanish) energy economics researchers, professionals, and policymakers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Association established in 2015, operating for over 9 years with continuous annual conferences, ME3 meetings, and member activities
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Energy Poverty Advisory Hub (EPAH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 December 2024APEEN co-organized a webinar with the Energy Poverty Advisory Hub (EPAH) on 'Energy Poverty Action: Identifying and Engaging Hard-To-Reach Populations in the European Union' in December 2025, featuring APEEN members João Pedro Gouveia and Miguel Macias Sequeira as expert speakers. The partnership focuses on practical approaches to identifying and engaging vulnerable populations in energy poverty across the EU.
• IAEE – International Association for Energy EconomicscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 September 2015APEEN is the official Portuguese affiliate of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE). This relationship was formalized at APEEN's founding in 2015 with the presence and support of IAEE President Gürkan Kumbaroglu. The affiliation provides APEEN members with access to IAEE's international network, publications (The Energy Journal, Economics of Energy and Environmental Policy), the quarterly Energy Forum newsletter, and IAEE student awards. Portuguese IAEE members are automatically registered as APEEN members.
• AEEE – Asociación Española para la Economía EnergéticacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPEEN's Spanish counterpart, AEEE, provided active support during APEEN's initial founding stage in 2015. The two associations co-organize the Iberian Congress on Energy Economics (EEIC), with the first edition held in February 2016. They also partner on events such as the seminar 'Effectiveness of Policies in the Adoption of Electric Vehicles' held in December 2024.
• EDP – Energias de PortugalminorOthersEDP (Energias de Portugal), a major Portuguese energy company, appears as an institutional member of APEEN, with its logo displayed on the association's members page. Jorge Sousa, President of APEEN, is affiliated with ISEL, not EDP, indicating this is a distinct organizational membership.
• REN – Redes Energéticas NacionaisminorOthersREN (Redes Energéticas Nacionais), Portugal's national energy networks operator, appears as an institutional member of APEEN with its logo displayed on the association's members page. Maria José Clara, President of APEEN's Administration, is affiliated with REN.
• PORDATA – Fundação Francisco Manuel dos SantosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPEEN co-organized a special session with PORDATA at the 2017 Annual Conference to present energy and carbon indicators developed by the APEEN research team. APEEN members Marta Ferreira Dias, Mara Madaleno, Margarita Robaina, and Júlia Seixas developed the 'Energy Economy' sub-theme in PORDATA, a major Portuguese database of socio-economic statistics.
• GOVCOPP – Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies Research Unit (University of Aveiro)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGOVCOPP, a research unit at the University of Aveiro, co-organizes the annual ME3 (Meeting on Energy and Environmental Economics) meetings with APEEN. The DEGEIT department at University of Aveiro, where APEEN is based, also partners with GOVCOPP on these events.
• GAPEER – Grupo de Apoio à Gestão Ativa da Procura de Energia (University of Beira Interior)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGAPEER, a research group at the University of Beira Interior, co-organizes APEEN conferences and the annual Conference on Energy Flexibility for a Just Transition (planned for April 2025). GAPEER was established at UBI, and APEEN Vice-President António Cardoso Marques is based at UBI.
• E-REDESminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerE-REDES, the Portuguese electricity distribution operator, partnered with APEEN and other organizations (including the newspaper Negócios and leading universities) on the Conference Cycle 'Smart Networks for the Energy Transition', including a conference featuring APEEN Vice-President António Cardoso Marques.
• Order of Economists (Ordem dos Economistas)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPEEN partnered with the Order of Economists (Ordem dos Economistas) and the Order of Engineers (Ordem dos Engenheiros) to organize the seminar 'Energy Markets and Energy Transition: Current Challenges and Future Perspectives' in December 2022. APEEN President Jorge Sousa and AEEE President Hugo Lucas participated in the opening session of a December 2024 electric vehicles seminar organized with the Order of Economists.
• Bureau VeritasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPEEN cooperated with Bureau Veritas to organize an online training course on 'European Green Deal – Challenges and Opportunities' in March 2022, composed of 6 two-hour modules taught by specialist instructors.
• JustWind4All (European Project)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPEEN is a strategic partner in the European JustWind4All project, participating in an event on January 31 focused on repowering wind energy through local co-financing as a pathway for just transition in Portugal.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• UKAEE - United Kingdom Association for Energy Economics: UK national affiliate of IAEE with similar academic and industry membership model focused on energy economics research and dissemination. Operates as a regional peer to APEEN within the European energy economics community and is comparable in size and structure.
• USAEE - United States Association for Energy Economics: US national affiliate of IAEE serving as the North American counterpart to APEEN. Operates similar energy economics research dissemination, conferences (USAEE/IAEE North American Conference), and membership models, but at much larger scale. Directly comparable as another country-level IAEE affiliate.
• AEEE - Asociación Española para la Economía Energética: Spanish national affiliate for energy economics, structurally analogous to APEEN with the same IAEE-affiliate model, similar academic/industry membership base, and overlapping conference programming. APEEN and AEEE co-organize the Iberian Congress on Energy Economics (EEIC) since 2016, making them the most directly comparable peer.

Others

• EPAH - Energy Poverty Advisory Hub: European initiative focused on energy poverty that collaborates with APEEN as a content partner (e.g., December 2025 webinar on energy poverty action). Operates in an adjacent policy/research space and shares APEEN's energy economics academic network, but functions as a project rather than a membership association.
• Ordem dos Economistas: Portuguese professional association for economists that co-organizes energy economics seminars with APEEN (e.g., December 2022 'Energy Markets and Energy Transition' seminar). Comparable as a Portuguese membership organization serving economics professionals, but with broader mandate beyond energy economics.
• EDP - Energias de Portugal: Portugal's largest integrated energy company and an institutional member of APEEN, with Vice-President Pedro Neves Ferreira affiliated with EDP. Functions as a key institutional sponsor and employer of energy economics researchers rather than a peer organization, but is a primary stakeholder in APEEN's network.
• REN - Redes Energéticas Nacionais: Portuguese national energy networks operator and an institutional member of APEEN. APEEN's President (Maria José Clara) is affiliated with REN. Comparable as a key stakeholder in Portuguese energy economics ecosystem rather than a direct competitor; functions as both sponsor and member-side participant.

Broad incumbents

• IAEE - International Association for Energy Economics: Global umbrella organization for energy economics of which APEEN is the Portuguese affiliate. Operates at much broader geographic scale with regional conferences, The Energy Journal, and a global membership base. APEEN's value proposition is partly defined by its affiliation with IAEE, making IAEE both parent body and broader-incumbent peer.
• IEA - International Energy Agency: Intergovernmental organization providing global energy data, analysis, and policy recommendations. Operates in an adjacent authoritative space to APEEN but at vastly larger scale and with government mandate. Comparable as a convening body in energy economics research, though APEEN is membership-based and the IEA is intergovernmental.

Regional players

• International Association for Energy Economics (Canadian Affiliate): Canadian regional affiliate of IAEE serving as a comparable national-level energy economics membership organization in a different geography. Structurally analogous to APEEN with similar academic and industry member base, providing a model of how national IAEE affiliates operate outside of Portugal.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/apeen.pt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/apeen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about APEEN