Feasibility and evolution studies on renewable energy communities in cities

Abstract

Renewable energy communities could play a key role in the decarbonisation of the building stock, while providing important benefits to the members. This paper reviews the existing literature on this topic of growing scholarly interest. Three clusters have been identified, grouping the most common approaches to study feasibility analysis and the drivers that encourage individual participation. The paper also explores the role that different actors and forms of self-organisation might play in the development of these communities. The findings highlight a lack of homogeneity in the literature in conceptualising the benefits of renewable energy communities for different stakeholders. There is also evidence that little attention has been paid in the research to energy efficiency measures and the reduction of energy consumption. Financial costs and benefits are the main drivers, while environmental concerns and the desire to reduce dependence on energy-related uncertainties emerge as influential in community participation. Finally, a comparison of Italian case studies reveals a lack of comparability between studies due to discrepancies in the conceptualisation and calculation of indicators, such as the variation of self-sufficiency ratios ranging from 35.6 % to 83.8 % between reported and recalculated results. The insights gained from this study can help lay the ground for the establishment of a cross-sectorial approach to renewable energy community studies. A further important contribution of this work is to draw attention to the need for a common framework for assessing the performance of these communities. Finally, this study also usefully proposes clear calculation boundaries for the definition of indicators.