New decentralized energy-generation technologies have turned economies of scale upside down while becoming more economically viable. At the same time, the increased penetration of information technologies has led to new opportunities to manage infrastructure in a less hierarchical, more flexible way. Together with citizen demands for control over energy, these two converging trends has put energy communities (ECs) on the agenda, potentially advancing the transition towards more sustainable energy systems, despite hindrances encountered on the way.

This paper presents a case study of the planning process of a sustainable city district in Sweden, using participatory observations and interviews conducted with included stakeholders. The authors analyze how the included stakeholders has reasoned about establishing a sustainable energy system in the area, including a microgrid. We conclude that the different models, a distributed energy system (DES) and a citizen energy community (CEC), comprise different values and an increased focus on energy communities could shift the transition pathway towards a more decentralized system involving other priorities than just economical.

Read the article (open access, link will open in a new window)