For decades, energy communities have been producing electricity from renewable energy sources (RES), playing a central role in the energy transition.

However, in recent years, the significant progress of renewables’ share in the EU energy  mix is coming together with new challenges: the variability of the electricity production inherent to renewable energies creates fluctuations and new electricity flows in the grid.

Thanks to advanced digital technologies, such as smart meters and automated control systems, energy communities can now tackle these challenges more effectively. By using data-driven strategies, energy communities can optimise how energy is produced, shared, and consumed at the local level.

The main energy management strategies used by energy communities are the following:

• Energy sharing: Allows locally produced solar electricity to be consumed within the neighborhood, much like self-consumption, but extended to multiple users.
• Matching: Improves the real-time (typically every 15 minutes) alignment between energy supply and demand within the energy community, enhancing efficiency and reducing waste.
• Balancing services: Enables energy communities to support national transmission system operators (TSOs) by helping maintain the overall balance between electricity generation and consumption.
• Grid congestion management: Assists distribution system operators (DSOs) in relieving congestion in specific sections of the local grid, improving stability and reliability.