Le Renewable Energy Communities they have a pace that is too slow. There are less than 200 active ones, but 400 had been hypothesized. They are the most advanced solution for collective self-consumption of energy, but they must be pushed, so to speak, by the Municipalities and Regions. Piedmont is the Region that favors their diffusion, although the renewable energy companies complain of obstacles of all kinds at the national level. There is still a lot to do, he said Andrea Cristini, president of ANIE Rinnovabili, the sector association. “If we look at the numbers regarding the Energy Communities scheme, they do not seem to be what was expected. So, for now, the expansion of Energy Communities is proceeding slowly. This does not give the feeling that CERs can impact towards energy independence,” he adds. But why is this happening?
A decree that is rarely applied
At the origin there is a decree law and the government through the Ministry of the Environment tries to make up for lost time in the territories. On Monday, November 4, in Trieste, “InsiemEnergia” will be presented. A traveling event to tell the story of the CER revolution, wrote Minister Pichetto Fratin. But it is a half-revolution, of which the Minister is convinced and has started with a campaign that will touch the Regions and autonomous Provinces.
The contents of the meetings will be explained measure of the beginning of the year. It is not working, despite the non-repayable contributions up to 40% of the costs for the Communities in municipalities with less than 5 inhabitants and an incentive tariff on the renewable energy produced. The year ends with many good intentions left on paper and with the trade associations asking for less bureaucracy. To make the CERs, there is also a need for professionals and competent people and the companies are asking to get to grips with a project thate involves the key players in the sector. Which does not seem to be happening.
What happens to the bills?
In Piedmont, meanwhile, the Polytechnic University of Turin and the historic factory Officine Grandi Riparazioni (OGR) of Turin have begun work on a new Energy Community. The agreement will allow for the sharing of surplus renewable energy between the University buildings and the factory. The Piedmont Region is among those that is helping the development of the CER with financial resources and PNRR projects. The Rector of the Polytechnic University Stephen Corgnati and the President of OGR David Canavesio they said that the CER photovoltaic panels will be fully functional in the first months of 2025. The initiative is appreciable for two reasons: it increases the availability of renewable sources in Turin, a city historically linked to fossil fuels and recognizes the skills of the Polytechnic through its Energy Center. In the Italian panorama, the Polytechnic in recent years has become an experimenter of innovation.
The new energy creature essentially fulfills the functions of the Sustainable Self-Production Communities, dedicated to the community. When it will be operational, citizens will be able to use it through the application of a premium rate, will see their bills drop. From an environmental and urban planning perspective, the area occupied by the Campus of the Polytechnic of Turin and the OGR is configured as an ideal territorial ecosystem for the creation of Communities. In the perimeter "significant electricity consumption coexists for educational facilities, laboratories, student residences, commercial activities, cultural initiatives, and homes and surfaces capable of hosting photovoltaic systems" they say at the Polytechnic. Nothing extraordinary, one might say, is the reason why energy aggregations were conceived in cities throughout Europe. After years of study and discussions, with the desire to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, it should not be difficult to create widespread models like this one in Turin. Let's not forget that there is a law that helps those who want to develop a sense of belonging on such important issues. And yet...
