Renewable Energy Communities as Means of the Fulfilment of Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans in Historic Urban Districts: The Case Study of Villorba—Treviso (Italy)

Elena Mazzola (), Massimiliano Scarpa () and Francesco Gastaldi
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Elena Mazzola: Department of Architecture and Arts, University Iuav of Venice, Dorsoduro, 2206 Venice, Italy
Massimiliano Scarpa: Department of Architecture and Arts, University Iuav of Venice, Dorsoduro, 2206 Venice, Italy
Francesco Gastaldi: Department of Architecture and Arts, University Iuav of Venice, Dorsoduro, 2206 Venice, Italy

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 20, 1-18

Abstract: Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) are increasingly recognized as a key tool to foster the local integration of renewable energy and to achieve sustainable climate and energy targets. In Italy, they could be particularly beneficial in municipalities combining heritage constraints with large industrial areas. This study focuses on Villorba (Treviso, Veneto), where the installation of photovoltaic (PV) panels on historical buildings is restricted, while a considerable stock of industrial buildings offers high potential for renewable energy deployment. A mapping of the building stock and PV potential based on Geographic Information System (GIS) was combined with hourly building energy simulations using an EnergyPlus-based tool. Several scenarios of PV installation on industrial roofs were assessed and compared against Villorba’s Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) targets. The results show that PV systems installed on industrial buildings could significantly contribute to the electricity demand of the residential and municipal buildings. However, a more realistic approach should consider the concurrent generation and demand for electricity. The results with such an approach highlight that reduced PV capacities can achieve similar levels of local electricity self-consumption, thus decreasing investment costs and avoiding grid imbalances. This study demonstrates the strategic role of RECs in heritage-sensitive contexts and supports more resilient and realistic SECAP planning.

Keywords: Renewable Energy Communities (RECs); Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP); heritage-sensitive context; photovoltaic (PV) systems; electricity self-consumption (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: 2025
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