In our bachelor's thesis, we addressed the question of how local communities can benefit from the expansion of renewable energies. For this purpose, we developed a digital platform for energy communities, with which citizens can promote regional expansion of renewable energies quickly and easily. Members of these communities can use the new interface to invest directly in renewable energies and thus obtain cheap and green electricity from other citizens. Due to the fluctuation in electricity production from renewable energies and the fluctuating demand, the electricity price in the energy community is flexible and changes every quarter of an hour. The app provides all essential data on the flexible electricity price, electricity consumption, and the energy community at a glance. It also allows its users to participate in the community through voting and events.
Click through and explore the app.
Climate change and the energy crisis are presenting our society with new challenges in terms of energy supply. To become less dependent on energy imports from abroad and large power companies and simultaneously accelerate the expansion of renewable energies, we need a decentralized energy transition in the hands of citizens.
There are no incentives for the rapid expansion of renewable energies at the regional level because the electricity from photovoltaics and wind farms on your doorstep is more expensive than the electricity from a power plant far away. This is partly due to the fact that energy is organized centrally by large energy companies. In addition, there are high entry and participation hurdles for citizens. However, these could finance 35 percent of the German government's expansion target by 2030.
Energy Sharing is a local and participatory energy concept that enables members of renewable energy communities to purchase the green electricity generated by jointly financed facilities directly. These communities can make an essential contribution to accelerating the energy transition. The European Union also recognized that which already issued a directive (RED-II) in 2018 to facilitate energy sharing. This directive requires all EU member states to establish political energy-sharing frameworks by 2021.
Each year, members of the community receive a review of the previous year, which includes data visualizations. Some of the visualizations are related to the community as a whole, while some are specific to each member. The provided values offer users a way to compare themselves and track their progress within the community. The purpose of this function is to assist users in comprehending their energy consumption habits and to encourage them to modify their behavior.
