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Current Developments in Renewable Energy Communities: Decentralization, Integration and Local Opportunities and Challenges for the Energy System

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2024) | Viewed by 7117

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Johannes Reichl

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Energieinstitut an der Johannes Kepler Universität Linz, 4040 Linz, Austria
Interests: energy and climate economics; applied econometrics; energy informatics
Dr. Johannes Slacik

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Energieinstitut an der Johannes Kepler Universität Linz, 4040 Linz, Austria
Interests: energy communities, sustainability business models, energy utilties, energy transition, sustainability transition, Management Control Systems
Prof. Dr. Mehmet Efe Biresselioglu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Sustainable Energy Division, Izmir University of Economics, Izmir 35330, Turkey
Interests: energy security; energy policy; energy behaviour; energy transition; climate change

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is focused on identifying the current developments in European energy communities. Based on REC and CEC and its legal frameworks, the parameters, opportunities and challenges will be presented. Policy recommendations of interest for this Special Issue. Business models for the energy sector and its growing decentralization will be considered for submission. The growing urge of the population to gain energy independence while contributing to the energy transition requires new methods of empowering citizens and adjusting legal frameworks to allow energy to be  shared between entities, i.e., between citizens (single households), associations, cooperatives, and SMEs. Thus, this Special Issue welcomes the submission of papers with a focus on the following research areas:

  • The implications for legal frameworks among energy communities and policy makers;
  • The empowerment of citizens and definition of energy citizenship;
  • The development of European energy communities: opportunities and challenges regarding energy efficiency, consumption behaviour, flexibility and demand-side management;
  • New sustainability business models for the energy sector and its energy utilities;
  • Policy recommendations and visions for the near future of the energy transition.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Johannes Reichl
Dr. Johannes Slacik
Prof. Dr. Mehmet Efe Biresselioglu
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. Sustainability 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 2400 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.

Keywords

  • renewable energy communities
  • citizen energy communities
  • energy citizenship
  • energy efficiency
  • policy making
  • policy recommendations
  • sustainability business models
  • citizen empowerment
  • energy independency

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

31 pages, 3983 KiB  
Article
How Could People and Communities Contribute to the Energy Transition? Conceptual Maps to Inform, Orient, and Inspire Design Actions and Education
by Margherita Pillan, Fiammetta Costa and Valentina Caiola
Sustainability 2023, 15(19), 14600; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914600 - 9 Oct 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3025
Abstract
Energy Transition (ET) is crucial for sustainable development, impacting inclusive prosperity and social justice. Knowledge development, innovative solutions, and awareness actions become crucial as energy systems transform. ET necessitates behavioural and cultural changes involving individuals in responsible decision making. The active engagement of [...] Read more.
Energy Transition (ET) is crucial for sustainable development, impacting inclusive prosperity and social justice. Knowledge development, innovative solutions, and awareness actions become crucial as energy systems transform. ET necessitates behavioural and cultural changes involving individuals in responsible decision making. The active engagement of all societal actors, including people and communities is essential. The article is authored by a university research team specializing in Design for Sustainability, Service Design, and Design for Experience, and it addresses two central research questions: (i) how can individuals and communities contribute to ET? and (ii) how can design theories, methods, and expertise contribute to generating knowledge and solutions for ET? The research employs a multidisciplinary literature review and case study analysis. It is structured into two main sections. The first section examines ET, drawing upon European Union (EU) official documents and academic literature to outline its values, objectives, actors, initiatives, and challenges, focusing on the role of citizens and communities. The second section explores the design’s contributions, summarizing relevant philosophies and solutions aligned with ET goals, challenges, and bottlenecks. Conceptual maps were created to address the knowledge gap on ET objectives and guidelines, providing design-oriented reference knowledge and principles. The purpose of the research is to define a conceptual framework made up of maps to guide researchers, designers, and design educators in understanding the complexity of ET and to inspire their intervention proposals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Developments in Renewable Energy Communities: Decentralization, Integration and Local Opportunities and Challenges for the Energy System)
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29 pages, 2784 KiB  
Article
Implementing European Union Provisions and Enabling Frameworks for Renewable Energy Communities in Nine Countries: Progress, Delays, and Gaps
by Michael Krug, Maria Rosaria Di Nucci, Lucas Schwarz, Irene Alonso, Isabel Azevedo, Massimo Bastiani, Anna Dyląg, Erik Laes, Arthur Hinsch, Gaidis Klāvs, Ivars Kudreņickis, Pouyan Maleki, Gilda Massa, Erika Meynaerts, Stavroula Pappa and Karina Standal
Sustainability 2023, 15(11), 8861; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118861 - 31 May 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2309
Abstract
With the Clean Energy for all Europeans legislative package, the European Union (EU) aimed to put consumers “at the heart” of EU energy policy. The recast of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) acknowledged the importance of energy communities for the energy transition [...] Read more.
With the Clean Energy for all Europeans legislative package, the European Union (EU) aimed to put consumers “at the heart” of EU energy policy. The recast of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) acknowledged the importance of energy communities for the energy transition and introduced new provisions for renewable energy communities (RECs), empowering them to participate in the energy market. This article analyses the progress of transposing and implementing key provisions of the RED II that apply to RECs in nine European countries and focuses on timeliness and completeness of transposition. It comprises both a qualitative and quantitative assessment covering (1) the definition, rights, and market activities of RECs; (2) key elements of enabling frameworks; and (3) consideration of REC specificities in support schemes for renewable energy. The analysis shows considerable variation in transposition performance between the analysed countries. The authors investigate the reasons for this variation and relate them to findings of European implementation and compliance research. Key factors identified include actor-related and capacity-related factors, institutional fit, and characteristics of the RED II itself. Future research in this field needs multi-faceted avenues and should pay particular attention to the influence of national governments and incumbents, not only in the transposition process, but already in upstream policy formulation at the European level. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Developments in Renewable Energy Communities: Decentralization, Integration and Local Opportunities and Challenges for the Energy System)
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16 pages, 277 KiB  
Article
Lessons Learnt and Policy Implications from Implementing the POWERPOOR Approach to Alleviate Energy Poverty
by Eleni Kanellou, Arthur Hinsch, Veljko Vorkapić, Alis-Daniela Torres, Georgios Konstantopoulos, Nektarios Matsagkos and Haris Doukas
Sustainability 2023, 15(11), 8854; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118854 - 31 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1215
Abstract
Energy poverty is a multifaceted phenomenon that affects many Europeans. Alleviating energy poverty is high in the EU, national, and local policy agendas. Despite the attention the phenomenon has been gaining from a policy perspective, especially after the current energy crisis, there are [...] Read more.
Energy poverty is a multifaceted phenomenon that affects many Europeans. Alleviating energy poverty is high in the EU, national, and local policy agendas. Despite the attention the phenomenon has been gaining from a policy perspective, especially after the current energy crisis, there are still some gaps due to the complexity of the issue and its vastly different manifestations across Europe. This manuscript presents the policy implications stemming from the implementation of the POWEPROOR approach in alleviating energy poverty in eight European countries, as co-created with relevant stakeholders in each country. The knowledge gained from empowering energy-poor citizens by promoting behavioural changes and small-scale energy efficiency interventions, as well as by encouraging the uptake of renewable energy sources in the form of collective energy initiatives while leveraging innovative financing schemes, resulted in policy recommendations for national and sub-national governments and lessons for civil society and the private sector. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Developments in Renewable Energy Communities: Decentralization, Integration and Local Opportunities and Challenges for the Energy System)
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