Renewable Energy Communities: Frameworks and Implementation of Regulatory, Technical, and Social Aspects Across EU Member States

Giulia Taromboli (), Laura Campagna, Cristina Bergonzi, Filippo Bovera, Vincenzo Trovato, Marco Merlo and Giuliano Rancilio
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Giulia Taromboli: Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, Via Lambruschini 4, I-20133 Milan, Italy
Laura Campagna: Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
Cristina Bergonzi: Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, Via Lambruschini 4, I-20133 Milan, Italy
Filippo Bovera: Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, Via Lambruschini 4, I-20133 Milan, Italy
Vincenzo Trovato: Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, I-38123 Trento, Italy
Marco Merlo: Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, Via Lambruschini 4, I-20133 Milan, Italy
Giuliano Rancilio: Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, Via Lambruschini 4, I-20133 Milan, Italy

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 9, 1-32

Abstract: This study presents a comprehensive review of renewable energy communities, focusing on key challenges concerning their implementation. In particular, it addresses the technical, regulatory, and social dimensions of community energy models, with special attention to planning and operation strategies, grid-related impacts, and energy poverty mitigation. Additionally, the study explores the varied regulatory approaches to energy community implementation across EU Member States and proposes a comparative analysis of selected countries from both theoretical and quantitative perspectives. The findings reveal highly heterogeneous regulatory approaches, resulting in significantly different economic outcomes for participants, and show a general gap in the considerations of social aspects, which could support policymakers in designing more effective incentive schemes.

Keywords: energy communities; self-consumption; photovoltaic; RES; incentives (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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