Designing Collaborative Energy Communities: A European Overview

Saveria Olga Murielle Boulanger, Martina Massari, Danila Longo, Beatrice Turillazzi and Carlo Alberto Nucci
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Saveria Olga Murielle Boulanger: Department of Architecture, University of Bologna, 40136 Bologna, Italy
Martina Massari: Department of Architecture, University of Bologna, 40136 Bologna, Italy
Danila Longo: Department of Architecture, University of Bologna, 40136 Bologna, Italy
Beatrice Turillazzi: Department of Architecture, University of Bologna, 40136 Bologna, Italy
Carlo Alberto Nucci: Department of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering, University of Bologna, 40136 Bologna, Italy

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 24, 1-17

Abstract: Renewable energy has a crucial role in facing climate change. One promising strategy is the creation of energy communities that require active involvement from a bottom-up perspective. Their implementation is difficult, as they currently rely on local policies, community readiness, and technological availability. The objective of this paper is to provide a qualitative overview of energy community concepts and strategies at the European level. The aim is to identify common approaches that are framing the development of energy communities, and to understand the most successful steps leading to their creation and growth. To achieve this objective, a threefold methodology is provided: (1) an updated review on policies dealing with energy communities at the European and Italian level; (2) a qualitative overview of European-funded projects under the Horizon 2020 work program; and (3) a qualitative overview of some of the most successful existing energy communities in Europe. The results outline a series of considerations and lessons learned that are useful for implementing this transition pathway in a real case, which is also presented in the paper. The conclusions will identify some future directions of this research, particularly in relation to the results coming from the implementation of actions in the real case.

Keywords: energy communities; renewable energy; energy transition; urban climate transition; community participation; performative citizenship (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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