The energy system in Europe currently undergoes profound changes, shifting from centralised towards decentralised, from fossil fuels to Renewable Energy Sources (RES), and from a passive to a more active role of users. This paradigm is a direct result of EU’s plans to decarbonize the energy sector, deliver energy at affordable prices and enhance the security of supply. As part of this strategy, the new Clean Energy Package prioritised the empowerment of customers, and included the new figure of Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) within the revised Renewable Energy Directive (REDII).
Community-led energy projects have a huge potential to drive the energy transition while offering new and attractive opportunities for decarbonising local energy systems. However, the design, planning and operation of RECs is still a great challenge for most citizens and local actors due to the novelty of this legal figure and the inherent complexity of community energy systems. LocalRES project aims at bridging these gaps and constituting a shuttle for the setting up of RECs by developing digital tools that support the co-design of the local energy landscape and enable the optimal management of energy systems. These solutions will be demonstrated in four remote rural sites across Europe, together with additional decarbonisation solutions (e.g. PV, power-to-heat, power-to-vehicle, storage or ICT). In particular, the demo sites are small villages with a weak connection to the main grid which have a high replicability potential, and include: two isolated towns, Ispaster (Spain) and Ollersdorf (Austria) and two geographical islands, Berchidda (Italy) and Kökar (Finland).
The main objective of LocalRES is to engage citizens, other local actors and communities to participate actively in the energy transition, focusing on the figure of RECs as main actors for leading the structural change towards the decarbonisation of the local energy systems. To do so, LocalRES proposes a holistic approach covering the whole value chain of RECs, including: preliminary phases of learning and raising awareness among local actors, the assessment of REC-driven services and their related business models, the co-design and planning of RECs supported by participatory processes, the deployment, demonstration and integration of decarbonisation solutions, the dissemination of lessons learnt and policy recommendations related to RECs, or the replicability and promotion of RECs.
In the scope of LocalRES, a Planning Tool has been developed to enable the participation of citizens and local actors in the decision-making processes associated to the planning of a REC. The Planning Tool has been co-designed by local stakeholders, and accessible for expert and no-expert users, promoting their understanding about energy systems and the feasibility of alternative scenarios, allowing them to make informed decisions. LocalRES has also developed a Multi-Energy Virtual Power Plant (MEVPP) approach to manage and optimize in real time different energy vectors and to provide different energy and flexibility services according to the interests of the community, which will maximize the contribution of RES, enhance the energy system flexibility and supply security.
