Abstract
Although a certain degree of consensus seems to pervade the ideas of “distributed energy systems” and “energy communities”, in truth, diverse views are involved. This article aims to shed light on the variety of interpretations of these two concepts. In particular, the article critically considers the answers to the following four questions: What exactly is meant by “distributed” in the expression “distributed energy generation”? Why is distributed generation (ethically) desirable? Why should people consider it a positive idea that “communities”—and not individuals or families—are invited to manage distributed generation systems? Lastly, can energy communities be considered different from standard state intervention and from market systems? Clearly defining these questions helps in emphasising crucial differences, and it is an important step toward achieving a critical understanding. The conclusion is that there is no single interpretation for either the idea of distributed energy or that of energy communities. Shifting emphasis from one feature to another can drastically affect what policies are required to foster the creation of such communities and of a distributed energy production scenario.
Highlights
An Apparently Unitary FrontThe themes of distributed generation and energy communities are acquiring an increasingly important role, both in scientific literature and in the construction of scenarios and policies, as in the EU Framework 2030 [1] and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development [2]
The article critically considers the answers to the following four questions: What exactly is meant by “distributed” in the expression “distributed energy generation”? Why is distributed generation desirable? Why should people consider it a positive idea that “communities”—and not individuals or families—are invited to manage distributed generation systems? Lastly, can energy communities be considered different from standard state intervention and from market systems? Clearly defining these questions helps in emphasising crucial differences, and it is an important step toward achieving a critical understanding
Shifting emphasis from one feature to another can drastically affect what policies are required to foster the creation of such communities and of a distributed energy production scenario
Summary
An Apparently Unitary FrontThe themes of distributed generation and energy communities are acquiring an increasingly important role, both in scientific literature and in the construction of scenarios and policies, as in the EU Framework 2030 [1] and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development [2]. ]. A recent trend is for communities to create plans to directly manage their energy systems. These local initiatives are heralded as precursors to a future network of distributed generation where large central generating stations are replaced with many dispersed and smaller generation sources” (see Klein and Coffey [4]). In this scenario, consumers are supposed to become electricity producers as well as consumers, that is, not merely passive consumers but active prosumers [5,6]. The EU recognises that legislative, more than technical, barriers currently limit their operation: “To ensure that such initiatives can freely develop, the new market design requires Member States to put in place appropriate legal frameworks to enable their activities” [8] (p. 4)
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