Towards the Implementation of Renewable Energy Communities in Various Application Fields in Italy

The European Union has introduced Renewable Energy Communities as a key component of its strategy to transform the energy sector, aiming to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.This study presents case studies of Renewable Energy Communities based on numerical and experimental investigations across various application fields in Italy, highlighting different types of stakeholders and energy configurations.The implementation of RECs is subject to a range of challenges, including diverse procedural requirements, stakeholder roles, and legal and technical constraints, which must be addressed to secure approval from national authorities.The first case study examines a photovoltaic-based energy community in Southern Italy, designed to mitigate energy poverty by supporting families unable to meet their essential energy needs.A second case study explores the benefits of a Renewable Energy Community in the industrial area of Benevento (South of Italy), which integrates a mixed-use building with an industrial wastewater treatment plant, focusing on energy sharing and environmental sustainability.The final case study investigates a Renewable Energy Community that incorporates electric vehicle charging stations, demonstrating its potential to enhance their diffusion on the territory and increase the community's self-consumption rate.Overall, the establishment of a Renewable Energy Community provides superior outcomes compared to conventional configurations of end-users regardless of the application field or the typology of members, from an energy, environmental and economic viewpoint, with additional positive outcomes possible depending on local circumstances.