Review on fairness in local energy systems

The discussion of fairness is gaining considerable attention in the context of Local Energy Systems (LES). This is partially motivated by the energy transition, which has put more attention on technologies and production closer to the end-user. In other words, we are evolving towards a more user-centric approach, which requires dealing with fairness and justice due to the users’ participation in the loop. Their willingness to participate depends on the perceived fairness regarding the systems they use. The current literature started to adopt the concept of fairness within LES but without a universally accepted approach. This review highlights the work described in the literature by thoroughly analyzing 80 scholarly papers addressing fairness in LES. The main objectives are twofold: to provide a definition of fairness within this domain and to examine how this concept is currently shaped and interpreted. The analyzed studies are categorized according to their applicability to LES, fairness and justice interpretation (e.g., equality, meritocracy), and use of post-method indicators to evaluate fairness performance. The work explores the identified gaps in the existing literature and outlines guidelines and prospective research directions for future studies addressing fairness issues in LES.