Energy Communities in Italy – Analysis on the internal gap between the North and South

Technologies for distributed energy generation have reached a level of maturity that will favour the creation and diffusion of local energy systems. Nevertheless, technology issues are only part of the energy debate. The progressive involvement of local communities in the ownership, decision-making and organization of energy production plants is leading to the birth of a new socio-energy system based on distributed generation from renewables. In this context, the energy communities will play a crucial role in the re-discussion of the entire infrastructural system and the energy market. In this paper we have studied, through a comparative analysis, the socio-economic, cultural and historical factors that characterize the energy communities in the two macro areas of Northern and Southern Italy and that determine their level of diffusion.