Spatial analysis of energy communities and energy vulnerabilities in Spain

Energy communities are increasingly recognized for promoting citizen-led transitions toward a just energy system. This paper provides an empirical study examining the distribution of collective action initiatives (CAIs) within Spain's energy transition, focusing on their alignment with local energy generation configurations and energy vulnerability, reflected in socio-economic conditions at the municipal level. This study uses spatial and statistical analyses to assess CAI distribution with a minimal set of socio-economic indicators characterizing basic dimensions of energy vulnerability and its standardized index, as well as energy assets across Spanish municipalities. Results show modest correlations between CAIs and indicators such as income levels and measures of income distribution. However, no significant link is found with income inequality, as measured by the Gini index, when considering high and low-population municipalities separately. Spatial clustering analysis with Local Moran's I reveals a low yet significant association between mean household income and low-capacity PV installations in neighboring areas, suggesting localized economic factors may influence renewable adoption patterns. The study also investigates CAIs' limited impact on addressing gender disparities within the energy sector, finding weak correlations with gender-balanced participation. These findings underscore the strengths and limitations of CAIs in supporting community resilience while highlighting their current insufficiency in addressing broader socio-economic inequalities. Furthermore, this paper discusses the results within a framework for preliminary CAI mapping within energy vulnerability contexts, offering insights for analytically-guided municipalities selection for in-depth, mixed-method exploration of community-led energy initiatives.