Energy communities

. Energy communities are associations of producers and consumers of energy set up to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels and optimise the use of energy for the advantage of the members. This paper presents an experiment being implemented in the territory around the town of Pinerolo in western Piedmont. Encouraging results are reported.


Foreword
A eergy cuity ay ivve varius types f rgaisati but a sehw iterested i usig eergy Its ebers ay be private idividuas firs r pubic adiistratis but eergy is the cectig tivati fr a There are we w exapes cperatives f eergy prducers exist thrughut Eurpe fr cercia purpses icudig i Itay there are as cperatives f csuers iterested i buyig eergy uder the best pssibe aret cditis ad fiay there are assciatis dig bth bs There are currety a uber f rea eergy cuities i Itay as part f a specia ist f histric cperatives where histric detes that they were fuded g ag (seties eve a cetury ag) i specific areas f the cutry where cercia peratrs did t prvide eectricity Thse etities survived varius egisative chages durig the 20 th cetury aways eepig their specia status Exceptig the histric cperatives it has t s far i Itay bee awed t exchage eergy betwee differet ctiguus eergy users The situati is w chagig • A Itaia aw ( 2212015) has itrduced the abiity fr ca adiistratis t estabish i Free es icudig experiets i varius ways t attai idepedece fr fssi fues 1 • A aw i the Piedt regi (122018) expicity perits eergy cuities t be fuded i the Piedt territry whse ebers ay be cpaies private cities r uicipaities 2 • I Deceber 2018 a directive was issued by the Eurpea Ui ( 328) cittig eber states t awig ad supprtig the frati f cuities f prducers ad csuers f eergy revig egisative ad ecic bstaces t the fuctiig ad ife f such cuities 3 the eber states are required t adpt the directive it their atia egisati by 2021 Uder this ew psitive egisative bacgrud a prcess has begu i the area surrudig the tw f Pier (Wester Piedt) t set up a rea eergy cuity 2 The Pinerolo Energy Community

Territory
The ptetia extet f the Pier Eergy Cuity is shw i Figure 1 The brders f the reevat area are idicated by the red ie The darest cur is used fr the west ads (the west is 72 abve sea eve the highest is 4628 as) The ap gives as a idea f the prprti f the axiu surface f the Cuity (1348  2 ) ad the area f the whe regi (25387  2 ) the frer is apprxiatey 53% f the atter There are 149249 ptetiay affected ihabitats 34% f the tta Piedtese ppuati (4353916) The area csidered icudes 45 uicipaities which atgether cprise the adiistrativey defied e 5 f the etrpita Area f Turi The distributi f the abve uicipaities ay be see i Figure 2 st f the area is utaius ad icudes a uber f Apie vaeys The future cuity wi be rather differet fr the existig histric cperatives bth because the extesi ad the ppuati are a rder f agitude bigger ad because the ad ad ptetia ebers are uch re varied

Prospective members of the Community
The cre f the future cuity ad at preset the prtig etity is the CPE (Csri Pier Eergia) csrtiu CPE was rigiay br t prvide the uicipaities f the Pier area with eectric eergy cveiety acquired  the eergy aret Varius cstraits ipsed by atia reguatis  the way that pubic adiistratis ust prcure their eergy have de fact frustrated the rigia purpse f the csrtiu It has survived but chaged its ga w the ai purpse is t stiuate ad faciitate cabrati ad syergies ag firs ad cpaies i the Pier area At preset CPE icudes re tha 70 cpaies wrig i varius fieds fr echaics t fd fr ceet t tertiary services ad re The seat ad cetre f CPE is ACEA Pierese Idustriae (API) which iterestigy begs t 47 uicipaities f the area 45 cprise e 5 ad the ther tw are cterius uicipaities have t disappeared fr CPE but they are there withut direct respsibiity as supprtig parters the sae is true fr the Pitecic di Tri (Turi Techica Uiversity) which f curse is as a pubic istituti subect t the sae id f restrictis as the uicipaities The atter are as preset thrugh API i ay case 3 Preliminary activities 3.1 Institutional front  Apri 16 2019 five ths after the Sciece ad the Future 2 cferece the first Itaia i Free e (cpiat with the atia 22115 aw) was estabished The fudig ebers were 25 uicipaities f the Pier area icudig the ai tw This was ust the start sice ther adiistratis are fwig the sae rute ad it is reasaby expected that withi a few ths the rest f e 5 wi i i The eradu that a uicipaities have at had estabishes that whe a ew parter apprves it withut chages it iediatey beces a eber f the F The F is the ega ctaier where it is pssibe t test sutis t reduce depedece  fssi fues The first auced experietati i this case was the fudati f a eergy cuity withi the brders f the F ad as a pit prect

Energy plan
A wrig grup fr the Departet f Eergy f the Pitecic is perfrig preiiary research fr drawig a eergy pa fr the future cuity S far data  eergy dead ad prducti have bee recvered fr the ai idustries that are part f CPE A siiar ivestigati is uder way fr uicipaities athugh this is swer due t bureaucracy ad the itera structura weaesses f pubic istitutis The preiiary resuts f the study destrate the eed ad pprtuity fr reducig the iprtace f fssi fues the sape that has bee exaied prduces apprxiatey 995% f its eergy csupti 7372% f the itera prducti is destied fr csupti by the prducers theseves ad 3471% is fr reewabes There is r fr iprtat iprveets

Legal aspects
A ega tea is wrig  the st apprpriate desig fr the future cuity sha it be a sciety A csrtiu A cperative Sethig ese If we wat t preserve a re fr uicipaities i additi t estabishig the F the st apprpriate istitutia setup appears t be the cperative it is ideed the st fexibe type f assciati ad the y e where pubic istitutis are awed t be ebers tgether with private parters I a ther cases accrdig t curret Itaia aws the aggregatis ust be either etirey private r etirey pubic The ega tea is as charged with draftig the statute f the future cperative defiig the reciprca bigatis f the ebers ad a apprpriate itera rgaisati

Economy
f curse a reiabe busiess pa ust as be prepared The cuity shud have a psitive baace sheet ad athugh regia aw pses as a cditi fr its recgiti that it be prfit its capacity t supprt itsef is a essetia requireet t esure the g ife f the istituti The tas f drawig up a busiess pa wi be accpished i cabrati with IS which is a prfit fudati wed 5050 by Pitecic ad Cpagia di Sa Pa (which is a baig fudati) The ai purpse f IS is t prte 'ivative prects fr a sustaiabe future' fr this reas it is fr the very begiig citted t hep i fidig pssibe ivestrs t supprt specific prects withi the fraewr f the eergy cuity 4 Open problems

Technical aspects
The iitia perati f the cuity is paed t be essetiay virtua via virtua et eterig (V) I practice the parters wud ctiue t pur the eergy they prduce it the cectig etwr whe prducti is i excess f their requireets ad tae it fr the etwr whe they eed t Access t rea tie eectric cuters hwever suggests that whe e parter is iectig eergy ad ather is cectig it the atter is the eergy that the frer is prvidig (eectrs aways fw the shrtest path) Rather tha resrtig t the extera aret the ecic baace cud the be defied as a itera trasacti betwee parters f the cuity f curse e the cst f the physica etwr eeds t be tae it accut which geeray des t beg t the cuity ad i ay case has aiteace ad perati csts The whe schee wud have t be cveiet fr a parters prvig abe t prduce eergy fr ca reewabes at a wer cst with respect t the extera aret ad egtiatig with the wer r aager f the physica et the ecic cuterpart f the reducti i trasprt ad deivery csts (wer trasissi sses) f curse V cat be the y g ter apprach t the perati f the cuity Ivestets are eeded i rder t ehace ad diversify the sef prducti capacity f the whe grup The crrespdig picy cat rey  prducti techgies y but ust as devep eergy savig ad efficiet use f eergy techiques ast but t east there is the prbe f diffused eergy strage The vehice t car strage strategy is beig csidered by the prter grup The Pier area has a iterestig feet f pubic vehices icudig sch buses ad service vehices fr the uicipaities That feet which is w etirey based  cvetia fue egies cud be tured it a set f eectric vehices ad at the sae tie a dedicated bidirectia pwer suppy etwr be prvided i rder t aw the batteries f the vehices t wr bth i the usua way ad as by prvidig a diffuse strage faciity fr the whe grup f users I a cases the techgica frae f everythig wi be a sart grid

Bureaucracy and regulation
Techica ad techgica prbes are i a sese a easy atter whe cpared with prbes f bureaucracy ad reguati Despite the presece f a regia aw awig fr the fudati f eergy cuities there is t yet a crrespdig csistet reguatry fraewr at the atia scae Eergy cuities as such d t yet appear i the tabes ad guideies f the ai Itaia reguati authrities The atter are GSE (Gestre dei Servisi Eergetici) ad ARERA (Autrit di Regaie per Eergia Reti e Abiete) The ai prbe appears t be the exchage f eergy betwee differet subects cated i differet paces The quaity f the assciated prducer adr assciated csuer f eergy is t a prbe but the difficuty arises fr the eed fr the re f a distributr f eergy The atter fucti is grated t a seected set f quaified peratrs wh either w the physica ca distributi etwr r are awed t aage ad use a etwr begig t see ese I rder t discuss the issues f the assciated distributi fucti the prters f the future Pier Area Cuity have aready estabished cuicati chaes with RSE (Ricerca su Sistea Eergetic a pubic cpay ctred by GSE) ad with ARERA Such ctact has idetified a strategy t aw the start f a rea eergy cuity eve i the absece f a sige atia reguatry fraewr ad whie waitig it t be defied r eve hepig its defiiti The apprach cud be as fws • Defie the istituti f the cuity as a pit prect t be reaised i the area f the ewy estabished i Free e devted t the experietati f sutis t reduce ca depedece  fssi fues • Attribute the status f assciated prducer f eergy t the ascet cuity as the grup has the apprpriate requireets sice startig fr ACEA Pierese a uber f parters are abe t prduce eergy fr cercia purpses • Recgise the ew rgaisati as a assciate csuer which is peritted by the preset reguatis fr a puraity f users wiig t ity prcure eergy  the aret • Etrust the tas f distributig the ity prduced eergy fr the fia users wh are part f the sae grup t e f the ebers f the assciati which aready has the requisite ad the fficia recgiti f beig a authrised distributr fr exape a fir begig t the ACEA Pierese grup ACEA Pierese Eergia (APE) The st cpicated tas is t fid a way t aw the uicipaities t beefit fr the sae pssibiities as cpaies ad private cities e pti is t d s t directy but thrugh ACEA Pierese which is their excusive prperty this wud be a fr f ihuse prcureet Ather way especiay suitabe fr utai uicipaities requires extedig a abiity that tws with fewer tha 20000 ihabitats aready have (tgether with the iistry f Defece) the perissi t exchage eergy betwee differet pubic buidigs eve if they are t ctiguus This pti cud be exteded fr adiistratis t the cities f the give uicipaity wh agree t be ebers f the eergy cuity I this case it is t eugh t sipy iterpret existig reguatis apprpriatey but it is ecessary t exted the cset f ARERA is eeded This issue has t yet bee resved but if the priviege is exteded t a iited area i a utai eviret ad fr a pit prect the success is reasaby expected e further deicate prbe reais ivvig the syste charges which are w paid by eergy csuers t directy refectig csts reated t trasprt ad the deivery f eergy Part f these charges are ideed a fr f taxati that the state acates t varius eergyreated purpses The structure f these charges shud be revised better distiguishig csts fr taxes ad as csiderig the pprtuity t faciitate the frati f ew eergy cuities as required by the EU directive This issue is f curse pitica the debate is pe

Conclusion
We have preseted here the preiiary iitiatives ad wr i the Pier area fr a eergy cuity iteded t be a freruer f siiar experieces diffused a ver Itay The first evauatis  the basis f the data cected i the territry ivved are ecuragig ad uicipaities ad private cpaies are bth taig the experiet seriusy It ust be stressed here that apart fr the detais f the ca ipeetati f the prect the experiet is i fact startig a srt f revuti i the way f thiig abut eergy ad rgaisig its prducti ad distributi Eergy is  ger see as erchadise t be sd  the aret fr the axiu prfit f speciaised peratrs Eergy is istead cceived as a fudaeta asset that is part f priary rights f a cuity which is etited t prcure it directy  its w Diffused prducti ad csupti is as the way t achieve re stabe ad safer etwrs ad it is especiay fittig fr the use f reewabes S far the y aspect stricty reated t eergy has bee etied but Eergy Cuities ca be uch re They ay ed the pprtuity t start a differet apprach t the way a cuity aages scia reatis ca services ad eve ecy c respsibiity cabrati ad utua exchage f sis ad resurces are caed i ad stiuated Returig t the gba chage Eergy cuities are part f a tred that huaity wi have t fw if we wat t cpe with the 50% reducti ad re i the reease f C2 it the atsphere befre 2030 which is required by the eed t eep the ipact f gig ciate chage uder the threshd f affrdabiity Ufrtuatey the percepti f this very re f future eergy cuities is as the reas why we ay expect the cuture f busiess as usua ad shrt ter vested iterests i the curret eergy aret t iterpse bstaces ad hitches t ipeetati