Supporting a “Glocal” Energy Transition: from Local Energy Communities to Global Simulation Networks

Managing a large share of non-dispatchable renewable energy sources requires new approaches, which have to be integrated with existing and well-established control systems currently used to guarantee power system operation. In this context, the number of energy communities is expected to increase, and hence their effective integration is fundamental. This paper aims at assessing the role and impact of energy communities on the operation of a transition power system, still having a share of active traditional power plants. Simulation models and real hardware have been included in the experiment, based on a live real-time co-simulation. The results highlight both the significant contribution that the methodology (i.e., geographically-distributed real-time co-simulation) can give in informing and driving energy transition policies and the important role that energy communities may have in supporting the transition towards completely de-carbonized power systems.