Energy communities for sustainable energy

By project RETRACE

Published on 12 July 2022

Italy

Piemonte

About this good practice

The first Italian Oil Free Zone with an area corresponding to the territory of 47 municipalities of the metropolitan city of Turin. It was created through a Memorandum of Understanding between 27 of the municipalities in the area, gathered in the Pinerolo Energia Consortium (CPE). The establishment of the zone also played the role of facilitator in the creation of the Energy Community of Pinerolo, an association of energy producers and consumers aimed at meeting their energy needs through self-production.
The part of the Metropolitan City of Turin included within the Oil-Free Zone territory has already reached 42% of its energy self-production capacity, although the objective remains 100%.
The future Energy Community has been established by a nucleus of public and private bodies, local municipalities, citizens, and 5 companies members of the CPE. In addition, other types of subjects will be involved, chosen along the continuum between consumers and producers, utilities and technologies.
The lead company of the CPE, ACEA Pinerolese Industriale S.p.A., is itself a private multi-utility company that makes profits, but is owned by all 47 municipalities in the territory.

Resources needed

The project is financed by the lead company of the CPE, ACEA Pinerolese Industriale S.p.A., a private multi-utility owned by all 47 municipalities in the area.

Evidence of success

Plants planned to meet the energy needs of the Community are over 160, divided between hydroelectric, biogas, photovoltaic. The biogas plant, which is generated is able to produce 80% of the energy needs of the community, generating about 10 million m3 of biogas and 17.1 GWh/year, a fundamental role is covered by both public and private photovoltaic, whereas the 144 private 3kW plants meet 3% of the general needs, but at the same time allow citizens to be self-sufficient and also have revenues.

Potential for learning or transfer

The project was created to promote, on an experimental and subsidiary basis, the gradual exit from the economy based on the carbon cycle and to achieve European standards of environmental sustainability. The practice will provide guidelines to implement other Oil-Free Zones in other territorial contexts, in this sense the degree of transferability of the practice is very high. With the signing of the memorandum of understanding on the Oil Free Zone, the following projects may gradually take shape projects for the growth of the territory under the banner of renewable energy, in which the energy self-produced from renewable sources by companies, municipalities members of the CPE and private citizens can contribute to economically relaunch the territory. This is the first pioneering project that will encourage the development of an increasingly sustainable and economically developed territory, thanks to renewable energy solutions that make businesses and society more competitive.