Energy communities in the transition to a low-carbon future: A taxonomical approach and some policy dilemmas

Moroni, Stefano; Alberti, Valentina; Antoniucci, Valentina; Bisello, Adriano

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.01.095

Cited by 111 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Additional building types, locations and climates, as well as energy-related technologies, could also be considered in future research based on the model proposed in this research. This could lead to better insights regarding the way in which buildings with different energy consumption profiles and requirements should be connected within a single "energy community" [34], and how local PV electricity and thermal energy production and sharing can be optimally combined in such communities [35]. It is our hope that this paper will contribute to extending and enriching these ongoing discussions by ensuring that the cost-related aspects of NZE communities are included in future research.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Cost-Optimal Net Zero Energy Communities

2020

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The objective of this research is to study the cost of Net Zero Energy (NZE) communities of different urban scales and densities, while taking into consideration the local climate and the type of buildings in the community. A comprehensive model was developed for this purpose, with which the cost-optimal configuration of renewable energy-related technologies for an NZE community can be identified. To validate the model, data from two case studies that differed in their climate and building types were used. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of the implications of NZE requirements for urban planning. An increase in the scale of a community was found to reduce energy costs, up to a certain point. Urban density, on the other hand, was found to have a more complex impact on costs, which depends on the local climate of the community and the subsequent energy demand. This underlines the importance of addressing the technological design of energy systems at the initial stage of the urban planning of energy-efficient communities, before the urban density, the unbuilt areas and the building types are set.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Cost-Optimal Net Zero Energy Communities

2020

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“…Additionally, REScoops suggest the established framework in order to implicate citizens with social, political, and nevertheless, financial features of RES distribution [11,12]. Last, but not least, there are several cases where REScoops enhance the effort of other systems relevant to RES systems, such as intelligent transportation one [13].As observed, the members of the contributing REScoops altered their behavior, reducing their final energy consumption, and invested money in order to produce green energy through RES [14,15]. Within the frame of the H2020 REScoop Plus Project, a better understanding is considered, and REScoops fostered this behavioral change employing the actions mentioned above.…”

mentioning

confidence: 95%

“…As observed, the members of the contributing REScoops altered their behavior, reducing their final energy consumption, and invested money in order to produce green energy through RES [14,15]. Within the frame of the H2020 REScoop Plus Project, a better understanding is considered, and REScoops fostered this behavioral change employing the actions mentioned above.…”

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confidence: 97%

How Much Energy Efficient are Renewable Energy Sources Cooperatives’ Initiatives?

2020

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In this paper is provided a systematic, in-depth, behavioral analysis of renewable energy sources cooperatives' members. The analysis proved that in, on hand, there was a noticeable difference in the portion of affection of each proposed intervention on the actual energy consumption, which may be to even ten times more in some cases, and on the other hand, the difference in energy consumption between the analyzed groups was noticeable as well. So, implementing energy efficiency interventions of various types, such as technical support, special tariffs, energy generation schemes, and smart meters, seems to lead to substantial energy reductions to even more than 10%, cumulatively, and reduces the environmental footprint. Additionally, the majority of energy efficiency interventions applied by the renewable energy sources cooperatives are proved to be effective in achieving their primary goal, sensitizing members, and leading them to a more efficient energy consumption behavior ("greener"). The results of the analysis showed that each proposed intervention had played a different but nonetheless significant role in the diminishing of the energy consumption of the members and that there was a noticeable difference in energy consumption between the analyzed groups. The results of the analysis demonstrated more than 22 GWh totally in green consumption, and almost 4500 tons of CO 2 saved.Energies 2020, 13, 1136 2 of 22 REScoops started to form in the European Union several years ago, offering to their members the opportunity to purchase green energy, such as renewably generated electricity, at reasonable prices. Besides, they were able to become autonomous and independent concerning energy availability. Last, but not least, their members could interact democratically with other members and co-decide the cooperative's future [7,8].Furthermore, REScoops offer to discrete populations and companies the opportunity to become renewable power producers and to actively participate in cooperative energy consumption [9,10]. Additionally, REScoops suggest the established framework in order to implicate citizens with social, political, and nevertheless, financial features of RES distribution [11,12]. Last, but not least, there are several cases where REScoops enhance the effort of other systems relevant to RES systems, such as intelligent transportation one [13].As observed, the members of the contributing REScoops altered their behavior, reducing their final energy consumption, and invested money in order to produce green energy through RES [14,15]. Within the frame of the H2020 REScoop Plus Project, a better understanding is considered, and REScoops fostered this behavioral change employing the actions mentioned above. Energy consumers' dynamic contribution to conservation activities, and in self-production processes as well, seems to be the primary way to meet the European Commission's targets for near-zero carbon footprint, 100% green energy consumption, and energy democracy. As the transition to RES is primarily enforced politi...

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“…The case studies were explored by means of official documents, on-the-spot investigations, meetings and interviews with key informants, texts and articles, official websites [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31]. The case studies are not extensively reported here because they were only used to identify and test problems and differences (they are presented in detail in Moroni et al [19]). In what follows, they will be recalled and briefly described when useful for exemplifying some questions or positions.…”

Section: Four Crucial Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The same applies to energy communities, a concept often considered as univocal, but that hides in reality a great variety of interpretations and meanings (see e.g. [9,[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]). After a long period of largely uncritical acceptance of the idea of energy communities, works that invoke the need for a stronger critical approach in this regard are emerging ( [21,22]).…”

Section: Introduction: An Apparently Unitary Frontmentioning

confidence: 98%

Local Energy Communities and Distributed Generation: Contrasting Perspectives, and Inevitable Policy Trade-Offs, beyond the Apparent Global Consensus

2019

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Although a certain degree of consensus seems to pervade the ideas of “distributed energy systems” and “energy communities”, in truth, diverse views are involved. This article aims to shed light on the variety of interpretations of these two concepts. In particular, the article critically considers the answers to the following four questions: What exactly is meant by “distributed” in the expression “distributed energy generation”? Why is distributed generation (ethically) desirable? Why should people consider it a positive idea that “communities”—and not individuals or families—are invited to manage distributed generation systems? Lastly, can energy communities be considered different from standard state intervention and from market systems? Clearly defining these questions helps in emphasising crucial differences, and it is an important step toward achieving a critical understanding. The conclusion is that there is no single interpretation for either the idea of distributed energy or that of energy communities. Shifting emphasis from one feature to another can drastically affect what policies are required to foster the creation of such communities and of a distributed energy production scenario.

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Energy communities in the transition to a low-carbon future: A taxonomical approach and some policy dilemmas

Cited by 111 publications

References 63 publications

Cost-Optimal Net Zero Energy Communities

Cost-Optimal Net Zero Energy Communities

How Much Energy Efficient are Renewable Energy Sources Cooperatives’ Initiatives?

Local Energy Communities and Distributed Generation: Contrasting Perspectives, and Inevitable Policy Trade-Offs, beyond the Apparent Global Consensus

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