The community energy sector in Italy: historical perspective and recent evolution

The community approach in Italy was limited to very specific local situations until the early 2000s. The liberalization of the energy markets as well as the introduction of renewable energy policy support (feed-in tariffs) made the development of some new experiences possible earlier than in other European countries, although limited in number and size. A new spring for the Italian community energy sector may follow on the national implementation of the EU Directives introducing Renewable Energy Communities and Citizen Energy Communities. A number of pilot projects are currently under development. Whether this will lead to a revival of local small-scale experiences or will reinforce larger Italian Community Energy (CE) initiatives or bring new actors on the scene is an open question worthy of analysis and discussion.