Cost outweighing environmental concerns in user preferences within peer-to-peer (P2P) local electricity markets

• Economic Incentives Drive Participation in P2P Markets. • Optimized Load Shifting Enhances Savings. • Market Simulation Validating Processing Framework. • Potential for Greater Investment in Local Assets. • Self-Sufficiency Boost Through Load Optimization Predicting the willingness and motivating the prosumers to participate in P2P markets is a challenging issue; thus, this paper proposes a methodological framework to address it. Valuable insights are extracted from user preferences, such as the most preferred technology and the motivation to participate in P2P markets. To assess the benefits of participating in LEM, a trading environment is simulated using 114 apartments and a photovoltaic (PV) system of 300 kWp, and several Key Performance Indicators (KPI) are calculated. Then, to increase the self-sufficiency of the market, the selling prices on LEM are used to motivate participants to shift their load during the trading hours. A load optimization algorithm is proposed to minimize the daily cost considering the selling prices and trading probability on LEM. In case all participants are optimizing their load, more savings and greater environmental benefits are obtained. The simulation of LEM trading among 114 households using a shared 300 kWp PV system demonstrates significant improvements in both economic and energy self-sufficiency KPIs. Without optimization (Case 1), annual savings reached €9,709 with a 5% increase in SSI and 12% in SCI. When half of the participants shifted their load (Case 2), savings increased to €12,340 and SCI rose to 92%. With full optimization (Case 3), annual savings peaked at €12,921, SCI reached 99%, and the average cost per member dropped by €266.3. A further 10% increase in PV capacity led to €41,205 in savings and improved GDI by 3%. These results confirm that LEM incentives and demand-side flexibility significantly enhance local RES utilization, reduce grid reliance and enable reinvestment in sustainable infrastructure.