Academic Press Energy Communities: Customer-Centered, Market-Driven, Welfare-Enhancing?

Energy Communities explores core potential systemic benefits and costs in engaging consumers into communities, particularly relating to energy transition. The book evaluates the conditions under which energy communities might be regarded as customer-centered, market-driven and welfare-enhancing. The book also reviews the issue of prevalence and sustainability of energy communities and whether these features are likely to change as opportunities for distributed energy grow. Sections cover the identification of welfare considerations for citizens and for society on a local and national level, and from social, economic and ecological perspectives, while also considering different community designs and evolving business models. Review Examines the possibilities when a group forms an “energy community” to optimize the generation, consumption and storage of energy in their community From the Back Cover <p><i>Energy Communities</i> explores core potential systemic benefits and costs in engaging consumers into communities, particularly as related to the energy transition, and inclusive of implementation considerations. It evaluates the conditions under which energy communities might be regarded as customer-centered, market-driven, and welfare-enhancing. The book also reviews the issue of prevalence and sustainability of energy communities and whether these features are likely to change as the opportunities for distributed energy grow.</p> <p>The work opens with a definition of the concept and the developing regulatory framework for these communities. This is followed by insights into the central role of customers and citizens. This second part also includes identification of welfare considerations for citizens and for society, on a local and national level, and from social, economic and ecological perspectives. The third part considers different community designs and evolving business models, building on specific enabling technologies that are just emerging, such as smart digitalized devices, from EV batteries to smart meters, and new control and communication technologies. The book concludes with a number of case studies from real-world experiences.</p> About the Author Sabine Löbbe is a professor for energy economics and business administration in energy markets in the Reutlingen Energy Center for Distributed Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency at Reutlingen University, Germany. She is responsible for Sustainability in the President’s Office at the University. Her consulting company advises utilities on strategy, business and organizational development. Prior to her current position, she was Director for Strategy and Business Development at the municipal utility swb AG Bremen. She also worked at Arthur D. Little Inc. in the Energy Practice and in the regional utility VSE AG. She wrote her doctoral dissertation about marketing strategies for utilities at Saarbrücken University. In her research and teaching, she focuses on the transition of organisations towards climate neutrality, business model development based on customer preferences regarding distributed energy, as well as organisational issues for bridging the energy efficiency gap. Fereidoon Sioshansi is President of Menlo Energy Economics, a consulting firm focused on the rapid transformation of the electric power sector. He is the editor and publisher of EEnergy Informer, a monthly newsletter with international circulation. His professional experience includes working at Southern California Edison Co. (SCE), Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), NERA, and Global Energy Decisions. Since 2006, he has edited 13 books published by Academic Press; the latest, Variable generation, flexible demand, was published in 2021 David Robinson is a consulting economist and Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. He is an academic adviser to The Brattle Group of Economic and Financial Consultants a