Assessing the relevance of barriers to Energy Communities in Italy

Energy Communities (ECs) are increasingly recognised as key actors in the energy transition, combining renewable energy deployment with local participation and broader territorial benefits. In Italy, however, their diffusion remains limited, pointing to a persistent gap between policy ambition and implementation. The paper provides exploratory primary evidence on the perceived relevance of barriers affecting the development and operation of ECs in Italy and examines how barrier relevance varies across selected EC characteristics. The analysis is based on survey data collected from 26 representatives of Italian ECs and focuses on 26 individual barriers grouped into ten classes and four categories. The results show that Institutional barriers are perceived as the most relevant, followed by Economic barriers, Socio-cultural and behavioural barriers, and Technical and technological barriers. The findings also suggest that barrier relevance varies across territorial and organisational conditions, including geographic location, spatial context, maturity phase, and membership composition. Overall, the study contributes actorspecific evidence from the Italian context and indicates that more differentiated and contextsensitive policy approaches are needed to support the diffusion of ECs.

Annamaria Bagaini, Edoardo Croci, Alberto Mori, Assessing the relevance of barriers to Energy Communities in Italy in "ECONOMICS AND POLICY OF ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT" Online First/2026, pp 1-38, DOI: 10.3280/epe2026oa23161