The promotion of renewable energy communities in the European Union

Abstract

This chapter examines the promotion of renewable energy communities in the European Union (EU), as a trend and a policy objective that aims to contribute to the adequate provision of energy services, to the increase of energy efficiency, as well as to the attainment of sustainable development and the low-carbon energy transition. Accordingly, the chapter presents the supranational legal framework for the renewable energy communities and examines the measures that have been and are expected to be employed by Member States to actually promote their development. In terms of structure, Section 2.2 examines how the supranational legal order links the provision of energy services with the target of increasing energy efficiency. Next, Sections 2.3 and 2.4 focus on decentralization and renewable energy communities respectively as means for increasing energy efficiency. Section 2.5 focuses on the EU legal framework for the promotion of renewable energy communities , and Section 2.6 reviews how Member States plan to actually promote the development of renewable energy communities in the future. The analysis will be based on the national policy objectives expressed in the draft National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) that were submitted to the European Commission in 2019. Last, Conclusion concludes the chapter.