Energy Communities: Technical, Legislative, Organizational, and Planning Features

With the constant demographic growth and the consequently economic development, the energy demand, especially in urbanized contexts, is higher every day. Worldwide the use of fossil fuels covers almost the 80% of the entire energy needs. In European Union (EU), 2020 represents a watershed: for the first-time renewables were the main source for electricity. In Italy the latest surveys demonstrate an increase in the use of alternative energy sources. European legislative framework highlights the importance of these new trends encouraging (and imposing) the use of renewables. The necessity to become more proactive in the energy production- consumption process and in the achievement of sustainability targets brings people to create Energy Communities (ECs) to manage their own energy supply chain. Authors present an overview on the main legislative framework in EU and Italy in relation to EC analyzing the energy consumption, the electricity and heat energy production potentiality, and the energy balance in a portion of an Italian middle-size city in Milan metropolitan area. Moreover, they underline the technical, regulatory and planning possibility to achieve energy independence, exchanging energy among the selected urban district when there is surplus in production. Lastly, authors underline the strengths and barriers to the development of EC.