European energy communities: Characteristics, trends, business models and legal framework.

With the aim of promoting the use of renewable energy sources, the new European directive has defined the concept of Energy Communities. This new entity has the potential to transform the classic structure of the electricity network, where a few large power plants supply the end users, to a structure where the end user is not a passive actor but has the ability to take advantage of their own consumption or the flexibility of their demand to consume their energy independently of the network, to share it, store it or sell it both to other members of the community and to the network. All this is closely linked to energy self-consumption, new management and distributed generation technologies, which are important factors in the energy transition. This new entity opens the doors to new management models, new business models and the ability to provide regulation services to the grid. This work explores all of these points, giving visibility to the wide range of opportunities offered by Energy Communities. [Display omitted] • It defines what an ECs is, its possible legal structures and legal framework. • The key assets and roles in ECs are identified and defined. • Decentralised ECs resources BMs and relations are highlighted. • The energy trading structures are described. • The current regulations (by European country) and European EC projects are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]