Chapter 11: Renewable Energy Communities: What Transformative Potential for Local Areas?¹

The chapter examines two case studies of renewable energy communities (RECs) carried out in two different territorial and socio-economic contexts: (i) MES Rec (Sicily, Southern Italy); (ii) RIC Rec, in the province of Trento (Northern Italy), fostered by the historical energy cooperative ‘RIC Rec Co-Op.’ Using Ostrom’s concept of polycentric governance and a comparative analysis, the authors highlight the historical and social conditions that have affected the two REC organisational practices, as well as the transformative effects on the urban and spatial level that RECs are producing. The different legal forms of the promoters of the energy communities (cooperative for RIC REC CO-OP and philanthropic body for the MES Rec Foundation, with which a social ESCo is associated) imply a diverse organisational practice both in the management of the REC and its services and in the participatory mechanisms of the citizens/users. Despite these differences, both RECs are based on the idea of energy as a common good and on a community logic that makes REC a model of socio-technical innovation to strengthen community and local welfare and generate positive externalities.