Dear Colleagues,

The transition towards a renewable-based energy system poses the challenge to foresee its future shape both on the energy generation and demand sides. On the one hand, the power generation paradigm is shifting from a centralized to a distributed generation scenario; on the other, many consumers are becoming prosumers (individual who both consume and produces energy) with the opportunity to share energy with each other locally. Thus, new forms of aggregation, known as "Energy Communities" (ECs), are emerging at the local level with the potential to increase renewable penetration, enhance energy share, reduce carbon footprint, and make renewable energy more affordable and acceptable for society.

Energy communities are gaining a lot of research interest because of the variety of aspects (not only energy-related) associated with their formation and operation. Among them, it is worth mentioning:

• The selection of the optimal number, type, and size of the energy conversion and storage units within the EC;
• Optimal aggregation of users in ECs;
• Management of the demand side;
• Development of smart energy grids;
• Fair criteria for allocation of resources among EC members;
• Proper incentive values to promote aggregation in EC;
• Assessment of social impact of ECs and large-scale deployment of renewable technologies;
• Reduction in energy poverty;
• Users engagement.

All these aspects are often studied with the aid of advanced modelling techniques involving dynamic–stochastic optimization approaches where both integer and continuous variables are used. These techniques allow for a consideration of the dependence on time (“dynamic”) of the community operation, the uncertainty of renewables, prices and energy demands (“stochasticity”), and the inclusion/exclusion of energy users and assets (“mixed integer” programming).

This Special Issue aims to present and disseminate the most recent advances related to the theory, design, modelling, and application of Energy Communities. It welcomes both papers dealing with specific case studies and papers outlining a broader perspective on the role of Energy Communities in shaping the energy system of the future.

Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to:

• Design and operation optimization of the energy conversion and storage units of the community;
• Criteria to identify the optimal aggregation of users;
• Modelling, simulation, and application of demand–response programs;
• User engagement in demand–response to increase flexibility;
• Use of storage at the local level;
• Development of energy grids to accommodate the growth of ECs;
• The role of uncertainty in the design and operation of ECs;
• Diagnosis and management of the development and implementation of ECs;
• Configurations and regulatory framework of ECs (e.g., Renewable Energy Community, Citizen Energy Community);
• Fostering policies that promote the development of ECs;
• Investment options and cost allocation in ECs;
• Risk assessment of EC formation;
• The impact of the emergence of ECs on society;
• Cooperation and human involvement within ECs;
• Nearly zero emissions ECs.

Dr. Sergio Rech
Prof. Dr. Andrea Lazzaretto
Dr. Gianluca Carraro
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Energies 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 2600 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.

• energy communities
• multi-energy systems
• smart energy systems
• aggregation of energy users
• renewable energy technologies
• energy storage
• decarbonization
• sustainable energy system