Transitioning to a low carbon society through energy communities: Lessons learned from Brazil and Italy

Abstract

New legal arrangements for the aggregation of distributed generation and demand are required for the future electricity grid so as to increase flexibility, resilience, citizens’ participation and also alleviate energy poverty. To promote the transitioning to a low carbon society, countries are reforming their legal framework to enable broad civic engagement in the energy markets. This work analyses the process of reform of the legal framework of the electric sector with focus on energy communities, using two study cases, one in Brazil and another in Italy. The research performed is applied, qualitative, descriptive and exploratory. The work uses multiple research methods, blending case studies, semi-structured interviews and a systematic literature review for data collection and the functional method of comparative law, discourse analysis and triangulation for data analysis. The findings suggest greater consideration of the energy poverty nexus in the policy design of the electricity sector and they also reveal the important role of specialized technical bodies and governmental institutions for the take-off and success of an energy community endeavour, highlighting crucial aspects for an energy transition aligned with the Paris Agreement and the goals of Agenda 2030.