Energy communities are to date one of the most relevant opportunities to access renewable and sustainable energy sources.
Talking about energy communities in Italy today is no longer taboo, and this is thanks to the evolution of production technologies that allow for the use of sustainable and renewable resources in an increasingly efficient way.
In our country, energy communities will finally be able to become a reality and this is thanks to the Decreto Milleproroghe and in particular Art. 42Bis. Specifically, the article in question of Dl 162/2019 is precisely about promoting the use of energy from renewable sources and also provides for the possibility of activating new experimental configurations of collective self-consumption with renewable resources and energy communities.
What are energy communities?
The definition of an energy community allows us to understand a little more. Energy communities are groups of people working together to share energy produced from renewable resources.
These communities follow an extremely innovative model for the production of clean energy and for its distribution and subsequent sustainable consumption. Underlying it all are, in fact, values that are often talked about nowadays such as energy equity and efficiency.
Energy communities are based on a recently introduced concept that goes hand in hand with the digitalization process. We are talking about the concept of the Smart Grid.
A revolution of the electrical grid is needed in our country, and that is why we are increasingly hearing about microgrids and storage systems. Thanks to digitalization and the Smart Grid those who have a photovoltaic system can share their excess energy with the community and therefore reduce not only waste but also environmental impact. A series of advantages that in a historical context such as the current one cannot be ignored.
The goal of energy communities
The main objective of energy communities is to create a decentralized energy system that can reduce dependence on traditional energy sources.
Today, more than ever, it is important to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. But that is not all: it is also important to reduce gas emissions and to focus on an economic model that is as sustainable as possible.
Members of an energy community can share the energy they produce, use energy collaboratively, and buy and sell energy among themselves. This fortifies the key concepts of the sharing economy.
The advantages of energy communities
Among the benefits of energy communities, a few stand out. Better management of energy from renewable sources, for example. Battery storage allows energy to be stored and harnessed when it is difficult to meet demand.
It also addresses the imbalances related to renewables, which makes the whole pathway more manageable.
The savings on utility bills are also very interesting. The costs of the variable components of periodic energy spending decrease as consumption increases. This means that you pay less grid charges and taxes, but you also pay a lower energy share when consumption increases.
In light of the above, it is also useful to remember that there are tax breaks, in the form of deductions or depreciation, that provide additional savings.
And the savings are also matched by actual earnings because money can be made from energy production and collaboration with a community.
These are just some of the reasons why more and more Italians are taking advantage of the incentives for energy communities that are also taking hold in our country and aiming to be the future. A future in which the Redelfi Group believes. That is why it is involved in the CerLab project, a company that invests in renewable facilities dedicated to RECs.
