Energy Communities
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Recent papers in Energy Communities
Renewable energy communities can be regarded as a vehicle for increasing energy efficiency, contributing to the low-carbon energy transition target as well as empowering energy consumers. In the EU, Member States have already been... more
Renewable energy communities can be regarded as a vehicle for increasing energy efficiency, contributing to the low-carbon energy transition target as well as empowering energy consumers. In the EU, Member States have already been interested in supporting their development, mostly using instruments pertaining to the promotion of renewable energy sources at large. But these support schemes need certain reforms, in order to inter alia better fit in specific the phenomenon of self-consumption and the rise of renewable energy communities. At the same time, the EU has recently enacted new legislation that creates a legal framework for the further development of energy communities. Member States have already put forward their draft National Energy and Climate Plans where the measures to be taken in line with the foregoing framework are presented.
Il volume Community Energy Map è il risultato di una ricerca, condotta da RSE e Luiss Business School, sullo stato dell’arte delle comunità dell’energia in Italia. Nel volume sono presenti diverse chiavi di lettura del fenomeno, a partire... more
Il volume Community Energy Map è il risultato di una ricerca, condotta da RSE e Luiss Business School, sullo stato dell’arte delle comunità dell’energia in Italia. Nel volume sono presenti diverse chiavi di lettura del fenomeno, a partire dall’analisi del quadro normativo nazionale e regionale italiano. Tramite diversi metodi di ricerca (mappature, desk analysis, clusterizzazioni, focus group e interviste), il volume presenta una serie di riflessioni sugli elementi di innovazione delle iniziative, con attenzione ai contesti territoriali e alle caratteristiche organizzative. Nel capitolo conclusivo, sono infine elaborate alcune raccomandazioni indirizzate ai policy makers e ai progettisti, orientate allo sviluppo di comunità dell’energia capaci di innescare virtuosi processi di sviluppo economico locale con attenzione all’impatto sociale e ambientale prodotto nei territori.
È assolutamente positivo il parlare molto di soluzioni per combattere i cambiamenti climatici. Questo sta avvenendo in particolare nell’ultimo periodo. Finalmente, aggiungo subito. Per discutere di ciò, un “Libro Bianco” focalizzato sulle... more
È assolutamente positivo il parlare molto di soluzioni per combattere i cambiamenti climatici. Questo sta avvenendo in particolare nell’ultimo periodo. Finalmente, aggiungo subito. Per discutere di ciò, un “Libro Bianco” focalizzato sulle Isole Minori italiane mi sembra, tuttavia,
un inedito che merita massima attenzione ed un convinto plauso.
Già, perché le isole minori rappresentano un osservatorio privilegiato per analizzare gli effetti del progredire del surriscaldamento globale ed una trincea ideale per contenere i disastrosi effetti che ne conseguono e, ci credo davvero, invertire la rotta, recuperando spazio ad un futuro ecosostenibile: recuperare spazio alla natura!
In questo poi, le meravigliose Isole Minori italiane, la loro bellezza ed unicità – riconosciute a livello mondiale – hanno un ruolo fondamentale perché qualunque best practices verrà introdotta, sarà in pochi giorni conosciuta e, spero, emulata in ogni latitudine e longitudine del pianeta.
Questo “Libro Bianco” dell’Associazione Nazionale Comuni Isole Minori parte dalla conoscenza diretta dei problemi e della criticità osservati nel vissuto quotidiano, li analizza nel merito e, in una declinazione assolutamente positiva, ipotizza soluzioni lanciando vere e proprie sfide per il cambiamento.
un inedito che merita massima attenzione ed un convinto plauso.
Già, perché le isole minori rappresentano un osservatorio privilegiato per analizzare gli effetti del progredire del surriscaldamento globale ed una trincea ideale per contenere i disastrosi effetti che ne conseguono e, ci credo davvero, invertire la rotta, recuperando spazio ad un futuro ecosostenibile: recuperare spazio alla natura!
In questo poi, le meravigliose Isole Minori italiane, la loro bellezza ed unicità – riconosciute a livello mondiale – hanno un ruolo fondamentale perché qualunque best practices verrà introdotta, sarà in pochi giorni conosciuta e, spero, emulata in ogni latitudine e longitudine del pianeta.
Questo “Libro Bianco” dell’Associazione Nazionale Comuni Isole Minori parte dalla conoscenza diretta dei problemi e della criticità osservati nel vissuto quotidiano, li analizza nel merito e, in una declinazione assolutamente positiva, ipotizza soluzioni lanciando vere e proprie sfide per il cambiamento.
REScoops are cooperatives of renewable energy producers and/or consumers that are being formed in the developing European Smart Grid. Today, there are more than 2397 REScoops with more than 650,000 members. Their development indicates the... more
REScoops are cooperatives of renewable energy producers and/or consumers that are being formed in the developing European Smart Grid. Today, there are more than 2397 REScoops with more than 650,000 members. Their development indicates the necessity of producing and consuming green energy, assists the fight against energy poverty, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by utilizing smart management systems and self-consumption techniques. An essential objective of the H2020 REScoop Plus project is to stimulate better understanding and promote the cooperatives' commitment to behavioral change. To achieve such a goal, this paper presents the methodology adopted to assess the energy-saving activities and behavior of the REScoops. In order to obtain relevant conclusions, a detailed statistical analysis was undertaken. Moreover, the analysis led to an effective classification of the various members, providing insights regarding their contribution to consumption reduction according to various specific characteristics. The statistical analysis showed that REScoop members contribute significantly to energy conservation and the reduction of harmful gas emissions, and subsequently, the majority of the energy efficiency (EE) interventions led to achieving more than 20% reductions. Specific practices, already adopted by the REScoops, lead to increased energy efficiency and environmental benefits.
We investigate the economic benefits of an energy community investing in small-scale photovoltaics (PVs) when local energy trading is operated amongst the community members. The motivation stems from the open research question on whether... more
We investigate the economic benefits of an energy community investing
in small-scale photovoltaics (PVs) when local energy trading is operated amongst the community members. The motivation stems from the open research question on whether a community-operated local energy market can enhance the investment feasibility of behind-the-meter small-scale PVs installed by energy community members. Firstly, a review of the models, mechanisms and concepts required for framing the relevant concepts is conducted, while a clarification of nuances at important terms is attempted. Next, a tool for the investigation of the economic benefits of operating a local energy market in the context of an energy community is developed. We design the local energy market using state-of-the-art formulations, modified according to the requirements of the case study. The model is applied to an energy community that is currently under formation in a Greek municipality. From the various simulations that were conducted, a series of conclusions are extracted.
in small-scale photovoltaics (PVs) when local energy trading is operated amongst the community members. The motivation stems from the open research question on whether a community-operated local energy market can enhance the investment feasibility of behind-the-meter small-scale PVs installed by energy community members. Firstly, a review of the models, mechanisms and concepts required for framing the relevant concepts is conducted, while a clarification of nuances at important terms is attempted. Next, a tool for the investigation of the economic benefits of operating a local energy market in the context of an energy community is developed. We design the local energy market using state-of-the-art formulations, modified according to the requirements of the case study. The model is applied to an energy community that is currently under formation in a Greek municipality. From the various simulations that were conducted, a series of conclusions are extracted.
In this paper, we analyse community energy (CE) projects in urban settings. Building on insights from the literature on the geography of sustainability transitions, we examine how contextual conditions promote or hinder the development of... more
In this paper, we analyse community energy (CE) projects in urban settings. Building on insights from the literature on the geography of sustainability transitions, we examine how contextual conditions promote or hinder the development of CE. Furthermore, reflecting on calls for greater attention to agency in transitions, we investigated how actors engaged in urban CE projects exploit beneficial conditions or overcome obstacles related to some of the contextual conditions. Empirically, we draw on six case studies of CE projects from the Baltic Sea Region. To develop a thorough understanding of our cases we conducted 24 semi-structured interviews and analysed numerous secondary sources. Our results show that institutions as well as visions, e.g. plans for future energy generation, are important contextual features for urban CE projects. Local actors seek to overcome unfavourable contextual conditions for CE initiatives by building trust, appealing to their community's sense of identity, networking, and promoting demonstration projects. Based on the results, we recommend that local and national governments address the following four issues to strengthen the role of CE in the transformation of urban energy systems: 1) harmonising policies; 2) creating a culture for transitions; 3) developing visions for CE; and 4) promoting policy learning from experiments.
The energy community is defined as a "cooperative/partnership/non-profit organization of final customers (municipalities, public and private entities, citizens) aimed at achieving energy independence in order to guarantee energy security,... more
The energy community is defined as a "cooperative/partnership/non-profit organization of final customers (municipalities, public and private entities, citizens) aimed at achieving energy independence in order to guarantee energy security, low environment impact and affordable energy costs". This work defines a place-based methodology for the dimensioning of energy communities, according to the requirements of the first Italian law on energy communities issued by the Piedmont Region. The aim is to evaluate the correct size and optimal aggregation of municipalities for future energy communities, considering the energy consumptions and the renewable energy sources available in a territory. In particular, with a place-based methodology, the electricity potentially produced by forest and agricultural biomass, waste, wind, solar and hydraulic sources was evaluated, in accordance with regulations and constrains. Thus, a renewable energy sources atlas was implemented to provide a tool for the estimation of energy, environmental and socioeconomic performance indexes of the municipalities of the Piedmont Region. In conclusion, considering the energy production, productivity and consumption of each municipality and the requirements of energy communities, a tool to optimally aggregate municipalities for creating energetic communities is described.
Energy Communities (EC) are intended as legal entities that can ensure environmental, economic, and social benefits for energy exchanges between its members. The Italian legislation has recently introduced incentives to Renewable Energy... more
Energy Communities (EC) are intended as legal entities that can ensure environmental, economic, and social benefits for energy exchanges between its members. The Italian legislation has recently introduced incentives to Renewable Energy Communities (REC). This work analyses the case study of the REC in Villar Pellice (Turin) and defines a methodology to assess its technical-economic feasibility. The hourly energy consumption and the local renewable energy production are assessed through a place-based methodology, considering different category of end users (municipalities, residential dwelling, companies), and obtaining data from available online database. The REC energy performance is assessed through the self-consumption and the self-sufficiency indexes. Besides, cost-optimal analysis evaluates its economic feasibility, considering investment costs and economic incentives. Several interventions are hypothesized to compare possible REC scenarios (e.g., photovoltaic panels and storage systems installation, energy efficiency measures for public lighting, and different configurations of end users). Results show that REC allows to aggregate stakeholders, ensuring economic advantages and environmental benefits. The methodology applied in this work can support the design phase of the RECs. Its flexibility makes it adaptable to different territorial and regulatory contexts, in evaluating the optimal REC configuration to maximize revenues from the incentive and reach the highest level of energy independence.
The spread of community initiatives in energy production raises many questions and calls for new interpretations on the development of these processes. Among community energy initiatives, community energy enterprises represent specific... more
The spread of community initiatives in energy production raises many questions and calls for new interpretations on the development of these processes. Among community energy initiatives, community energy enterprises represent specific typologies of organisations based on full community ownership and investment and collaboration schemes with local stakeholders. Through the investigation on two Italian case studies the paper investigates how and why project managers, communities and other local stakeholders operated during different stages of the engagement process. The main objective is to highlight which process features have been crucial for the development of the enterprises and how these have determined the local value added as perceived by the community of investors. The paper concludes with the identification of specific features on how to manage the community engagement process in these initiatives, framing possible competences and strategies to be experimented in the arising community energy sector.
Este trabajo retoma la nocion de comunidad energetica y la situa frente a un fondo abigarrado, el cual apunta a la imposibilidad de proyectar y enlistar a las comunidades latinoamericanas, mestizas en dinamicas modernas. Vinculamos este... more
Este trabajo retoma la nocion de comunidad energetica y la situa frente a un fondo abigarrado, el cual apunta a la imposibilidad de proyectar y enlistar a las comunidades latinoamericanas, mestizas en dinamicas modernas. Vinculamos este fondo con el extractivismo, donde comunidades y territorios han vivenciado olvidos, violencias y desplazamientos por parte de autoridades estatales. Particularmente nos interesa ahondar en las relaciones entre instituciones estatales y comunidades, junto con las tecnologias renovables que se han ido incorporando en geografias remotas. A partir del trabajo cuasi-etnografico realizado entre 2012 y 2015 en la ciudad de Coyhaique, Chile, junto a su correspondiente discusion bibliografica y analisis de documentos oficiales reconocemos, primero, un uso de lo local defensivo frente a intervenciones extractivas; y segundo, una adquisicion y experimentacion con energias renovables de propiedad colectiva pendiente de concrecion, a pesar del entusiasmo con que ...