Optimal design of renewable energy communities (RECs) in Italy: Influence of composition, market signals, buildings, location, and incentives

• Published in: Electric power systems research Vol. 235; p. 110895
• Main Authors: Belloni, Elisa, Fioriti, Davide, Poli, Davide
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01-10-2024
• Subjects: Buildings; Economic analysis; Italy; Microgrid; MILP; Pv systems; Renewable Energy Community (REC); Economic analysis; Microgrid; MILP; Buildings; Italy; Renewable Energy Community (REC); Pv systems
• ISSN: 0378-7796; 1873-2046
• DOI: 10.1016/j.epsr.2024.110895

•A mathematical and a business model for renewable energy communities.•A thermo-electric co-simulation approach for energy and cost benefit analyses.•Simulations of economic scenario of RECs in the Italian context.•Impact of members, configuration, geographical location, and market characteristics.•Optimal MILP algorithm to energy and economic sizing of the RECs.
In Europe the concept of Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) renovates the need for decentralized energy generation among citizens and companies. The corresponding legal framework enables the creation of business models that shall support environmental, economic and social benefits, provided that adequate planning accounting for the local conditions is executed. The present work is focused on a thermal-electric co-simulation approach for the analysis of the energy exchanges within an Italian REC, aimed at sizing photovoltaics (PV) and energy storage systems. EnergyPlus is used to estimate the thermal and electric needs of the community, whose results are fed into the “EnergyCommunity.jl” tool for the design of the local power system. The influence of REC composition (prosumers/consumers), the building energy demands for heating, cooling, and appliances, the geography of the REC in Italian regions, the market data, and the total peak power of PV are examined. The self-consumed electricity, the energy shared among the community, and the social costs are evaluated in different scenarios, suggesting significant environmental and economic benefits for Energy Communities.