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Electronics
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Smart Energy Communities: State of the Art and Future Developments
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Smart Energy Communities: State of the Art and Future Developments

A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Power Electronics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 January 2025) | Viewed by 8121

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Alessandro Lorenzo Palma

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
ENEA - Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, C.R. Casaccia, Santa Maria di Galeria, 00123 Rome, Italy
Interests: energy communities; demand side management; photovoltaics; thin film deposition; laser applications; optoelectronics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Renewable energy communities (RECs) are collective and citizen-driven entities that own and develop projects aimed at locally using renewable energy sources. RECs are granted the right to self-consume, share energy supplies, store energy, and access markets, to pave the way for a clean energy transition, attracting investments and increasing public awareness about correct energetic behaviors. Indeed, by revolutionizing the classical model of energy generation involving a centralized power plant and transmission over long distances, RECs can potentially lead to medium- and large-scale local energy production and self-consumption, going far beyond the single-household level.

The management of the many energy (production, storage, and consumption) and information flows within an REC must be performed in a smart way in order to reach a high level of flexibility, effectiveness, and efficiency.

The aim of this Special Issue is to illustrate the state of the art and propose possible developments regarding smart renewable energy communities (SECs).

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, four main areas:

  1. Local energy production and utilization

Technologies that produce on-site the energy needed by the utilities within the SEC itself and to consume that energy efficiently. This includes:

  • Electrical and thermal power generation plants.
  • Smart energy utilities which efficiently use the energy they need and/or are able to implement innovative operating logics (building automation systems and smart appliances).
  • Electrical and thermal energy storage systems.
  1. Energy flow distribution and information
  • Electrical and thermal energy distribution networks.
  • Communication infrastructure that enables information exchange among the various “nodes” of an energy community.
  1. Energy flow management, monitoring and control
  • Technologies that allow remote control of energy production, distribution, storage, consumption, and management of energy flows within the SEC.
  • Technological systems that, by processing the production and consumption forecasts of local renewable sources, plan the management of plants, storage systems and the interface with the grid, implementing demand side management and demand response logics that act on programmable utilities.
  1. Social, economic and legal aspects

The introduction and diffusion of SEC is leading to an evolution of the energy market and a different, less individualistic approach of citizens to the matter. It is important to evaluate the social impact of the aggregation of citizens and enterprises while forming an SEC, as well as the economic outcomes and legal implications of shifting the model of energy generation, storage and consumption.

Dr. Alessandro Lorenzo Palma
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Electronics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • energy communities
  • power sharing
  • energy storage
  • energy flow management
  • self-consumption
  • demand side management
  • demand response
  • power-to-heat
  • renewable energy sources

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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20 pages, 5233 KiB  
Article
Improvement of Self-Consumption Rates by Cogeneration and PV Production for Renewable Energy Communities
by Samuele Branchetti, Carlo Petrovich, Nicola Gessa and Gianluca D’Agosta
Electronics 2025, 14(9), 1755; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics14091755 - 25 Apr 2025
Viewed by 287
Abstract
The goal of decarbonization has driven the adoption of several intervention strategies across Europe, including the promotion of Renewable Energy Communities (RECs). This study analyses an electric REC in Italy to explore the performance of different potential energy mixes combining a biogas-based cogeneration [...] Read more.
The goal of decarbonization has driven the adoption of several intervention strategies across Europe, including the promotion of Renewable Energy Communities (RECs). This study analyses an electric REC in Italy to explore the performance of different potential energy mixes combining a biogas-based cogeneration (CHP) system and photovoltaic (PV) plants. The analysis is based on a real REC composed of 53 members (mainly companies) with a Self-Sufficiency Rate (SSR) of 92% and a Self-Consumption Rate (SCR) of 60%. Adding 550 residential consumers (apartments) to the REC, the total production matches total consumption, and both SSR and SCR converge to 84%. Compared to RECs that rely solely on PV systems, this case study shows that biogas integration leads to an increase of around 40 percentage points in both SSR and SCR—equivalent to an average gain of 0.4 to 0.6 percentage points for each percentage point increase in the CHP share of the CHP-PV production mix. The analysis quantifies how SSR and SCR vary not only with different biogas/PV production ratios but, more importantly, with variations in the total annual production-to-consumption ratio of the RECs. These results can guide the design of RECs tailored to the specific characteristics of local contexts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Energy Communities: State of the Art and Future Developments)
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28 pages, 7342 KiB  
Article
Optimizing Home Energy Flows and Battery Management with Supervised and Unsupervised Learning in Renewable Systems
by Khaldoon Alfaverh, Mohammad Fawaier and Laszlo Szamel
Electronics 2025, 14(6), 1166; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics14061166 - 16 Mar 2025
Viewed by 468
Abstract
This study examines reinforcement learning (RL) and fuzzy logic control (FLC) for optimizing battery energy storage in residential systems with photovoltaic (PV) power, grid interconnection, and dynamic or fixed electricity pricing. Effective management strategies are crucial for reducing costs, extending battery lifespan, and [...] Read more.
This study examines reinforcement learning (RL) and fuzzy logic control (FLC) for optimizing battery energy storage in residential systems with photovoltaic (PV) power, grid interconnection, and dynamic or fixed electricity pricing. Effective management strategies are crucial for reducing costs, extending battery lifespan, and ensuring reliability under fluctuating demand and tariffs. A 24 h simulation with minute-level resolution modeled diverse conditions, including random household demand and ten initial state of charge (SOC) levels from 0% to 100%. RL employed proximal policy optimization (PPO) for adaptive energy scheduling, while FLC used rule-based logic for charge–discharge cycles. Results showed that FLC rapidly restored SOC at low levels, ensuring immediate availability but causing cost fluctuations and increased cycling, particularly under stable pricing or low demand. RL dynamically adjusted charging and discharging, reducing costs and smoothing energy flows while limiting battery cycling. Feature importance analysis using multiple linear regression (MLR) and random forest regression (RFR) confirmed SOC and time as key performance determinants. The findings highlight a trade-off between FLC’s rapid response and RL’s sustained cost efficiency, providing insights for optimizing residential energy management to enhance economic and operational performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Energy Communities: State of the Art and Future Developments)
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39 pages, 8032 KiB  
Article
United in Green: A Bibliometric Exploration of Renewable Energy Communities
by Adrian Domenteanu, Camelia Delcea, Margareta-Stela Florescu, Dana Simona Gherai, Nicoleta Bugnar and Liviu-Adrian Cotfas
Electronics 2024, 13(16), 3312; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13163312 - 21 Aug 2024
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3962
Abstract
In recent years, the domain of renewable energy communities has experienced dynamic growth, spurred by European Union (EU) legislation that became law for all 27 Member States in June 2021. This legislative framework intensified research efforts aimed at discovering new methods for sustainable [...] Read more.
In recent years, the domain of renewable energy communities has experienced dynamic growth, spurred by European Union (EU) legislation that became law for all 27 Member States in June 2021. This legislative framework intensified research efforts aimed at discovering new methods for sustainable energy sources through the development of individual and collective energy communities. Each EU country has implemented distinct frameworks for renewable energy communities, leading to varied legislative approaches. This has spurred exponential investment, facilitating the deployment of photovoltaic and battery energy storage systems, offering significant economic and environmental benefits to community members. Against this backdrop, the purpose of this analysis is to investigate academic publications related to renewable energy communities. Using a dataset extracted from the ISI Web of Science database, this study employs a bibliometric approach to identify the main authors, affiliations, and journals and analyze collaboration networks, as well as discern key topics and the countries involved. The analysis reveals an annual growth rate of 42.82%. Through thematic maps, WordClouds, three-field plots, and a review of the top 10 globally cited documents, this study provides a comprehensive perspective on the evolving domain of renewable energy communities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Energy Communities: State of the Art and Future Developments)
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19 pages, 2709 KiB  
Article
Combined DC-Link Fed Parallel-VSI-Based DSTATCOM for Power Quality Improvement of a Solar DG Integrated System
by P.V.V. Satyanarayana, A. Radhika, Ch. Rami Reddy, B. Pangedaiah, Luigi Martirano, Andrea Massaccesi, Aymen Flah and Michał Jasiński
Electronics 2023, 12(3), 505; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12030505 - 18 Jan 2023
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2338
Abstract
In present day power systems, Power Quality (PQ) issues are causing great concern owing to the increased use of power electronic controlled drives and fluctuating and other non-linear loads. This problem is further aggravated by a steady increase in the integration of renewable [...] Read more.
In present day power systems, Power Quality (PQ) issues are causing great concern owing to the increased use of power electronic controlled drives and fluctuating and other non-linear loads. This problem is further aggravated by a steady increase in the integration of renewable energy-based Distribution Generation (DG), employing power electronic converters to distribution systems. Custom power devices with suitable control strategies provide an effective solution to these power quality issues. In this work, a typical three-phase distribution system supplying non-linear load and with DG integration is considered. A shunt connected DSTATCOM at PCC of the system is employed to mitigate power quality concerns. Initially, a parallel-VSI based DSTATCOM configuration, employing individual DC-Link and working basically on the principle of current sharing, has been proposed. The analysis is carried out for variable load conditions for PQ enhancement making use of a more effective control theory viz. Instantaneous Real-Reactive Power (IRP) theory for the generation of suitable switching patterns to the individual VSIs of the parallel DSTATCOM. Further, an improvement over the above configuration viz. combined/common DC-Link-fed parallel DSTATCOM is proposed. This configuration has the advantages of minimized sensing elements, reliable operation and low-cost compensation. A similar analysis is carried out for PQ improvement, making use of the same IRP theory with some modifications (known as MIRP theory). The effectiveness of this configuration is established from the simulation results. In all the above cases, the analyses are carried out using MATLAB/Simulink platform and the simulation results are presented in detail. Thus, the proposed parallel VSIs-based DSTATCOM configurations employing suitable control strategies provide effective solutions for power quality issues under varying load conditions in conventional distribution systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Energy Communities: State of the Art and Future Developments)
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21 pages, 3136 KiB  
Project Report
Energy and Digital Transitions for Energy Communities: Tools and Methodologies to Promote Digitalization in Italy
by Claudia Meloni, Laura Blaso, Samuele Branchetti, Matteo Caldera, Paola Clerici Maestosi, Gianluca D’Agosta, Angelo Frascella, Nicoletta Gozo, Gilda Massa, Fabio Moretti, Cristiano Novelli, Stefano Pizzuti, Sabrina Romano, Alberto Tofani, Antonella Tundo and Paolo Zangheri
Electronics 2025, 14(10), 2027; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics14102027 - 16 May 2025
Viewed by 59
Abstract
This paper presents an overall concept developed by ENEA (the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development) in the Italian framework of renewable energy communities (RECs). The proposed work is driven by the idea that RECs are part of [...] Read more.
This paper presents an overall concept developed by ENEA (the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development) in the Italian framework of renewable energy communities (RECs). The proposed work is driven by the idea that RECs are part of a long-term vision aimed at achieving the broader concept of smart communities (SCs) through smart energy communities (SECs). SECs are, therefore, the evolution of RECs toward SCs, where ICT (information and communications technology) and digitalization play a pivotal role in fostering and boosting the energy transition and addressing societal challenge goals by 2050. In this scenario, the proposed approach is based on three dimensions, as follows: digital tools, use cases, and the observatory. Digital tools can be utilized at different stages of the creation of RECs, ranging from the design and engagement phase to evaluation, analysis, and the token economy. The second dimension refers to some selected different business cases that are used to test and demonstrate the proposed tools and provide support to specific RECs in the different phases of their creation. Lastly, the EC observatory was created by ENEA to provide necessary support to the market and stakeholders on different aspects, such as data management, economics, legal issues, communication, and regional governance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Energy Communities: State of the Art and Future Developments)
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