Are We on the Right Track? Collective Self-Consumption and Energy Communities in the European Union

A roadmap for the implementation of a renewable energy community

Environmental problems due to climate change, that have been affecting our planet for years, are the main issues which prompted European Union to establish the ambitious target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. This occurrence encouraged all Member States to undergo significant changes of their energy sectors, favouring the extensive use of renewable energy sources. In this scenario, the European Union introduced Renewable Energy Communities, innovative energy systems based on a new model of renewable energy production, consumption and sharing, guaranteeing environmental, economic, energy and social benefits. The objective of this paper is twofold: firstly, to examine the regulatory framework of Member States and, secondly, to present a standardized procedure for the implementation of a Renewable Energy Community, an aspect not yet covered in scientific literature. The roadmap includes four main phases: a feasibility study involving an energy analysis of end users' consumption and a general assessment; the aggregation of members as producers, consumers or prosumers forming a legal entity, considering different funding opportunities; the operating phase, involving plant construction and project validation by national authorities; the technical and economic management phase. The dynamic structure of the roadmap allows for adjustments to accommodate different regulatory contexts, member typologies and project aim.

Photovoltaic energy sharing: Implementation and tests on a real collective self-consumption system

This research study analyses different types of photovoltaic (PV) energy sharing in a collective self-consumption (CSC) real-case in the Izarbel technological park in France. The analysis is carried out above all from the point of view of the self-consumption rate (SCR) and the savings. After explaining the emergence of the self-consumption concept for the integration of renewable energies, the study case is described. The PV energy is produced in ESTIA1 building and consumed in ESTIA1, 2 and 4 buildings. The main IoT components used to implement the CSC are smart meters and the Tecsol TICs; devices based on the LoRa protocol to retrieve production and consumption data. Then, the characteristics of PV energy sharing in France are explained, in particular the three possible types of energy sharing/allocation (static, dynamic by default and customised dynamic) and the structure of the electricity bill. Finally, the three types of sharing are compared in four scenarios (without and with a data centre, for low and high solar radiation). The results show that the dynamic allocations lead to increases of the SCR and that the customised dynamic sharing increases savings.

Mainstreaming Community Energy: Is the Renewable Energy Directive a Driver for Renewable Energy Communities in Germany and Italy?

By 30 June 2021, EU Member States were expected to transpose the recast Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) which includes provisions for renewable energy communities (RECs) and to develop an enabling framework to promote the development of RECs. Although there is a growing number of studies analysing the emergence of various forms of community energy, comparative studies investigating the transposition and creation of enabling frameworks for RECs in a multi-level governance (MLG) perspective are scarce. This article examines the transposition in Germany and Italy and compares elements of the respective enabling frameworks. Key methods include context and MLG analysis combined with methods of descriptive (legal) studies. Insights and participatory observations of the stakeholder desks established in the Horizon2020 project COME RES complement the spectrum of methods deployed. Although community energy development is more advanced in Germany, the transposition of the RED II provisions has been slow and piecemeal so far. Conversely, in Italy, RED II played a catalyst role; the transposition has been rather dynamic and encouraged a continuous growth of REC initiatives. Nevertheless, a widespread uptake of RECs requires structural adjustments of the governance system in both countries and attention to MLG as well as vertical policy coordination.

Different Technologies’ Impacts on the Economic Viability, Energy Flows and Emissions of Energy Communities

The aim of this study is to provide insights regarding the economic viability of and energy flows within a renewable energy community based on a linear optimisation model with peer-to-peer electricity trading. Different technologies, such as PV, heat pumps, electric vehicles, and a community battery storage, are modelled. With the objective of achieving a cost-optimal solution for the whole community, the individual impacts of different technologies, as well as their permutations, are investigated. Therefrom, financial and environmental advantages and disadvantages for individual participants and the whole community can be derived. The results indicate that customers who are equipped with a combination of PV systems, heat pumps, and EVs achieve better individual results compared to those with lower levels of technology. Especially when heat pumps are involved, the amounts of PV electricity generated can be used with high efficiency, increasing the benefits of energy community participation. Moreover, the higher the level of electricity-based technologies within the community is, the lower the conventional grid feed-in becomes. An additional implementation of a community battery storage can further reduce these amounts and, thus, the grid burden. Apart from the financial benefits, the installation of additional assets and, thus, reduced grid feed-in contribute to the reduction of CO2-emissions. This study’s results can aid in making decisions regarding investments and energy community composition, as well as in the funding decisions of policymakers.