What is it about?
The issue of “energy communities” is increasingly central to public and academic debate. However, the current discourse on energy communities often mixes three different aspects in an unclear manner. The first aspect is the type of energy source: that is, fossil or renewable. The second aspect is the general configuration of energy production: centralised or distributed. The third aspect is the type of prosumers: individuals or communities. These three aspects are not directly related (they concern three different issues), although they may be compatible. This article critically considers these three aspects and the distinctive advantages of the second item in the three pairs: renewable sources; distributed energy production; communities as prosumers.
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Why is it important?
In general terms, the invitation is to get rid of the rhetoric of the idea of “(energy) communities”, which is too often adopted in an uncritical manner even in scientific discourses
Perspectives
This article highlights the need to unpack the discourse on the advantages of various aspects of a possible (energy) transition. In particular, it suggests better distinguishing among: (i) the advantages of some sources over others, (ii) the advantages of some productive configurations over others, (iii) the advantages of having certain types of prosumers rather than others. This demarcation is useful not only to better interpret and understand certain phenomena, but also to better orient and design public policies.
prof. Stefano Moroni
Politecnico di Milano
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Energy communities, distributed generation, renewable sources: Close relatives or potential friends?, Energy Research & Social Science, December 2024, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103828.
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