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

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.