Exploring the potential for local energy ecosystems: A multi-criteria site identification and assessment process

To meet stringent climate goals, regions in the EU need tools to facilitate the sustainable energy transition. Localized energy systems offer a promising solution. Although concepts such as energy communities have been promoted, there remains a gap in the literature and practice regarding systematic approaches to locate and evaluate sites for local energy ecosystems. We introduce a process that evaluates these ecosystem sites using four technical factors: energy consumption volume, wind and solar energy potential, and energy infrastructure availability. The process utilizes the multi-criteria decision analysis methods Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and analytic hierarchy process. We applied this approach in the region of Päijät-Häme, Finland, identifying seven potential sites, with Kujala and Nastola standing out as the alternatives having highest potential. Higher energy consumption density or solar energy availability did not always correlate with better synergy potential. Instead, the results showed that energy ecosystem potential is formed from a combination of factors, of which energy infrastructure is the most important one in the regional case. These outcomes align with prior research and indicate that the proposed factors can effectively capture energy ecosystem potential. The study provides an applicable approach for regional energy planning.