To join or not to join? The energy community dilemma: an Italian case study

Energy Communities (EC) are becoming a major driver to foster the energy transition in
Europe and the regulatory framework adopted by each Member State (MS) plays a key role for a
prosperous deployment of ECs. This paper is thus divided into two layers. The first layer of this paper
addresses the current regulations introduced by MSs regarding ECs, providing a critical comparison
of each solution used. The second layer of research concerns the introduction of a Mixed Integer
Linear Programming (MILP) optimization algorithm early studied by some of the authors furtherly
developed to assess the conditions that favour prosumers’ participation to ECs. Both these models
have been tested on a case study located in the city of Magliano Alpi, in the north of Italy. The results
demonstrate that the proposed methodology correctly evaluates the key parameters influencing
participation of citizens in ECs and indicate that for the Italian EC under study, there is the possibility
to further expand the capacity installed without undermining the profitability of investment.