Trends and Prospects for Energy Communities in Europe

Dear Colleagues,

Energy communities are a new concept that organizes decentralized and community-owned renewable energy sources. While consumer savings so far are limited, the recent aim for energy autonmy has accerlarated their deployment. The EU definitions of energy communities emphasize non-monetary benefits, including, for example, the mitigation of energy poverty, the decarbonisation and decentralisation of energy producers, inclusiveness of sustainable development, and other social targets. At the same time, a fast roll-out of renewable energies and the need for strong energy savings requires multiple approaches. This includes existing and emerging collective actions outside the Clean Energy Package that may not need public subsidies, are profit-oriented, and include larger companies and traditional investors enabling economies of scale while still involving or supporting communities. A range of technolgies and their integration is also key for unfolding the full potential of this concept.

The aim of this Topic is to collect research providing insight into:

• The current status of energy community framework in countries;
• Advancements in technical, economic, financial, environmental, and policy aspects, including social practices;
• Evaluation and policy frameworks;
• Techno-economic analysis, including societal analysis;
• Stakeholder engagement practices;
• Best practices (examples of energy communities);
• Future outlook (including sector coupling opportunities and solutions and symbiosis with industry);
• The role of energy communities in future energy systems;
• Business-driven collective energy actions;
• Thermal demands and district heating in energy communities;
• Energy-sharing models among prosumers;
• Alternative fuels/carriers for energy production (hydrogen, etc.).

Dr. Francesco Reda
Dr. Rosaria Volpe
Topic Editors

Andreas Tuerk
Topic Editor Assistant
Affiliation: Joanneum Research, Leonhardstrasse 59, 8010 Graz, Austria
E-mail: andreas.tuerk@joanneum.at
Homepage: www.joanneum.at/LIFE
Interests: energy policy; decentralized energy systems; energy communities; smart cities