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Community Energy in Italy: Heterogeneous institutional characteristics and citizens engagement

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  • Chiara Candelise
  • Gianluca Ruggieri

Abstract

Community energy (CE) initiatives for investments in the energy sector have been progressively spreading across Europe and are increasingly proposed as innovative and alternative approaches to guarantee higher citizens participation in the transition toward cleaner energy systems. This paper focuses the attention on Italy, a Southern European country characterized by relatively low CE sector development. It fills a gap in the literature by eliciting and presenting novel and comprehensive evidence on the recent Italian CE sector development. Through a step-wise approach it systematically map and review Italian CE initiatives, exploring heterogeneity in their institutional characteristics and analysing implications in terms of outcomes delivered and citizens' engagement. It finds a very novel CE sector, still at its niche level and characterized by a wide diversity of implementation approaches. The analysis allows to identify two alternative patterns in institutional characteristics which differently shape citizens engagement and outcomes delivered. The role of policy and its relevance for a renewed CE sector growth is also highlighted and discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Chiara Candelise & Gianluca Ruggieri, 2017. "Community Energy in Italy: Heterogeneous institutional characteristics and citizens engagement," IEFE Working Papers 93, IEFE, Center for Research on Energy and Environmental Economics and Policy, Universita' Bocconi, Milano, Italy.
    • Handle: RePEc:bcu:iefewp:iefewp93
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    Cited by:

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    2. Maksym Koltunov & Simon Pezzutto & Adriano Bisello & Georg Lettner & Albert Hiesl & Wilfried van Sark & Atse Louwen & Eric Wilczynski, 2023. "Mapping of Energy Communities in Europe: Status Quo and Review of Existing Classifications," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-25, May.
    3. Jay Sterling Gregg & Sophie Nyborg & Meiken Hansen & Valeria Jana Schwanitz & August Wierling & Jan Pedro Zeiss & Sarah Delvaux & Victor Saenz & Lucia Polo-Alvarez & Chiara Candelise & Winston Gilcrea, 2020. "Collective Action and Social Innovation in the Energy Sector: A Mobilization Model Perspective," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-24, February.
    4. Lorenzo De Vidovich & Luca Tricarico & Matteo Zulianello, 2023. "How Can We Frame Energy Communities’ Organisational Models? Insights from the Research ‘Community Energy Map’ in the Italian Context," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-25, January.
    5. Musolino, Monica & Maggio, Gaetano & D'Aleo, Erika & Nicita, Agatino, 2023. "Three case studies to explore relevant features of emerging renewable energy communities in Italy," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 540-555.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Community energy; Institutional characteristics; Renewable energy; Citizen participation; Energy cooperatives;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • O35 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Social Innovation
    • P13 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Capitalist Economies - - - Cooperative Enterprises
    • P32 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions - - - Collectives; Communes; Agricultural Institutions
    • Q4 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy

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