Europe

In the current European regulatory framework, there are two approaches associated with energy communities understood as legally recognized entities:

The European Directive 2019/944 aims to qualify consumers as “active” and introduces the concept of “Citizen Energy Community (CEC)”. All consumers should benefit from direct participation in the market, shaping their consumption based on market signals experiencing lower electricity prices or monetary or non-monetary incentives;
Directive (EU) 2018/2001, (RED II), established a common framework for the promotion of energy from renewable sources in the EU.