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Renewable Energy Proliferation and the New Local Energy Community Paradigm: Analysis of a Case Study in Italy

Author

Listed:
  • Barbara Marchetti

    (CREAT, Università degli Studi e-Campus, Via Isimbardi 10, 22060 Novedrate, Italy)

  • Matteo Vitali

    (DIISM, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Biance 12, 60110 Ancona, Italy)

  • Giovanni Biancini

    (CREAT, Università degli Studi e-Campus, Via Isimbardi 10, 22060 Novedrate, Italy)

Abstract

Renewable energy communities (RECs) have been gaining momentum around the world, as a way to promote sustainable development and combat climate change. These communities are typically composed of individuals, businesses, and organizations that come together to invest in and promote the use of renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, and hydraulic power. This article focuses on the benefits that renewable energy communities bring to a territory through the diffusion of renewable energy systems, tackling different issues like local depopulation, increasing energy prices, and a lack of jobs, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality. The novelty of this article lies in the results from the first-of-its-kind national call within the Next Appennino program, part of the National Complementary plan, aimed at the formation and proliferation of RECs in the area severed by the 2009 and 2016 earthquakes in Italy, as a way to add social, environmental, and sustainable value to the reconstruction of this territory. The data refer to the municipality of Castelraimondo and Unione Montana dei Monti Azzurri (a consortium of mountain municipalities), both located in the Marche region. Analysis of the consumer and prosumer energy needs, as well as the quantification of the exploitable production from the new renewable generators installed, showed that a total of 6.134 GWh/year can be shared by the community.

Suggested Citation

  • Barbara Marchetti & Matteo Vitali & Giovanni Biancini, 2024. "Renewable Energy Proliferation and the New Local Energy Community Paradigm: Analysis of a Case Study in Italy," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-16, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:7:p:1599-:d:1364783
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Andrea Tortorelli & Giulia Sabina & Barbara Marchetti, 2024. "A Cooperative Multi-Agent Q-Learning Control Framework for Real-Time Energy Management in Energy Communities," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-27, October.

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