Socio-technical transformations for decentralized energy systems: A transition study of energy Communities

The energy sector is faced with various challenges, such as ageing infrastructures, overload of the energy grid, changing geopolitical climate, energy security and affordability, leading to the emergence of a more decentralized organization of the energy market. Energy Communities (ECs) are one example of how energy end-consumers can unite to become more active participants in the energy market by jointly investing in generation assets or providing other energy services. However, ECs are emerging unevenly across time and space and are highly context specific. Facilitating and hindering factors for the emergence and uptake of ECs were studied from a transition perspective. This research examines local and systemic aspects to help understand better how such innovations emerge and how they can be fostered. This dissertation offers a holistic overview of such factors and provides practical insights into eleven ECs in the European Union and South America.