A Review on Energy Communities Development, Opportunities and Challenges in Germany, Spain, and Italy

The European Union introduced key directives regarding the use of the Clean Energy Package for All Europeans to accelerate the transition to clean energy in 2019. These directives, the Renewable Energy Directive II and the Internal Energy Market Directive, significantly transformed the regulatory and operational framework of energy communities (ECs) in European countries. This paper presents a systematic review of how Germany, Spain, and Italy implemented these directives by identifying their operational and management impacts on ECs. This analysis highlights how national policy differences shape ECs development. By applying VOSviewer as a bibliometric analysis tool and NVivo as content analysis software, we evaluated the determining factors and barriers influencing the development of ECs to provide innovative insights. The study focuses on key aspects such as grid management, citizen participation, technological advancements, and flexibility in energy systems. It then assesses both the opportunities and challenges these countries face. The findings of our study show that national strategies enhanced grid efficiency, participatory mechanisms, and technological integrations, while they also faced grid management, flexibility, and regulatory barriers. This research can guide policymakers and stakeholders to refine governance frameworks and operational practices, enhancing the scalability and resilience of ECs across Europe.