Energy Communities - an effective way to share local energy resources

Energy communities, as defined in the EU's Electricity Market and Renewable Energy Directive, are a social innovation aimed at increasing incentives for local communities or other constellations of actors to invest in, for example, renewable energy sources, and to increase participation in various electricity markets. This should be done by allowing the energy community to invest in and share energy and flexibility among its members, and by making it easier to participate in external electricity and support service markets. Given the rapid transformation of the energy system, the need for increased flexibility, and the increase in local energy resources (solar cells, batteries, electric cars, heat pumps, ventilation systems, etc.), energy communities can be an opportunity to gather these within an area and more effectively meet both internal and external needs for renewable electricity and flexibility. Since the starting point is to create benefits and enable influence for community members, the introduction of energy communities can also contribute to increased tolerance and acceptance of societal electrification and the growing need for local electricity production. 

Energy communities are a good example of an interdisciplinary area that RISE can offer expertise from several different points of view. There is a need to create optimized technical systems that integrate multiple resources within an area, with smart control at the property, area, and city levels. This can be used to support decisions about new installations and to determine how existing resources can be utilized effectively. Then the regulations are important for understanding what is actually permitted and how an energy community can best comply with the law and achieve its goals. Right now, a process is underway to implement the EU's directives in each member state. Here, the Swedish regulatory process is closely connected to the EU directives and to any updates and guidelines for member nations. At RISE, we follow this closely, and through all our ongoing energy community projects, we have the opportunity to put the updates into a practical context. Furthermore, closely linked to the prerequisites of technology and regulations, we investigate how business models for energy communities can be designed to create value for stakeholders such as property owners, tenants, and electricity companies. This is, in turn, closely linked to the organization and governance of the energy community, as well as to behaviors and social issues around inclusion and participation. Here, RISE has several experts with experience in these organizational and social issues in the energy community context.