Section: General | DISCOVER the PROJECT - The New and Advcanced Service in Italy with AGENA!

Hello again AGENA. We have learnt about the existing services in Europe and in Italy through the Specific Guidebook, and you took the most of that collection work to design a New and Advanced Service specifically for your context. Can you now say something about it? What is this Service about?

Thanks, AISFOR for your question. Italy is working to foster the development of energy communities. This commitment is demonstrated through the adoption of appropriate legislation, the simplification of bureaucratic processes, the provision of support tools, and the implementation of incentive programs.

While significant progress is being made, challenges remain in fully realizing the potential of energy communities across the country. Fortunately, various tools are available to assess the technical and economic viability of potential investments. Examples of these resources include ENEA's RECON platform and the GSE (Gestore dei Servizi Energetici - Energy Services Manager) Simulator.

However, recognizing the need for more targeted and customizable analysis, we are developing a dedicated, personalized tool. Our aim is to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the development process, allowing us to better serve our specific target groups and ensure complete transparency across all stages.

How did you end up with this tool?

The genesis of the tool stays in a thorough analysis of the specific needs of the local territory. Existing tools for technical and economic evaluation of investments were deemed too complex for AGENA's target groups. A key finding was the need for local expertise, understanding the intricate dynamics of the territory and offering face-to-face support to local initiators. AGENA's advanced service aims to fill this gap by adapting existing tools to the unique requirements of the region.

ITALIAN CONTEXT

Why such tool is needed in your context? How would it impact the Italian/regional context?

CEP initiators face several challenges when starting the process. Municipalities, in particular, struggle with limited economic resources. Consider that many municipalities in the Province of Teramo have a population under 10,000 inhabitants (39 out of 47). Within this group, a considerable number fall below 5,000 residents (28 out of 39). These smaller municipalities not only lack financial resources but also deal with a scarcity of human resources. Typically, technical expertise is shared between multiple municipalities, stretching resources thin and hindering the dedicated focus required to develop a comprehensive CEP.

In addition, one of the main problems hindering the advancement of CEPs is a fundamental lack of understanding regarding the long-term sustainability of setting up a CEP through investment in photovoltaic systems. This uncertainty often prevents them from progressing beyond the initial planning stages. Municipalities are hesitant to commit resources to projects whose financial viability remains unclear.

To address these critical issues, a crucial tool is needed.

AGENA's tool provides a preliminary technical-economic assessment that clarifies the estimated costs and benefits of a CEP over its lifespan. This service will compare different financing models, offering a clear understanding of the optimal strategies for funding a CEP. This analysis will assist in identifying the most suitable and viable business model for each specific project, taking into account local conditions and priorities. The ultimate goal is to catalyse the launch of new CEPs across the province.

What kind of difficulties did you encounter preparing this service? and why?

The main difficulty is related to the regulatory complexity, the complexity of the incentive, the fiscal considerations. In fact, tax implications can vary drastically depending on the legal structure of the entity undertaking the project and the scale of the investment.

Characteristics of the service

How does it work? and who is it for?

The tool is built on an Excel interface and currently is in its implementation phase. It will allow users to perform simulations that inform early-stage assessments of the technical and economic feasibility of these projects. The tool is designed to be used independently, nevertheless the guidance of the AGENA team will facilitate the understanding and entry of required data and will assist in the interpretation of the results. This ensures a user-friendly experience and accurate application of the tool's capabilities.

This assessment will be based on a thorough energy autonomy analysis, which examines the complementarity between load and generation profiles within the potential energy community. The analysis will be structured around the following key points:

Identification of potential REC members
Characteristics of electricity production and consumption profiles
Analysis of energy trading potential within the community

For the economic assessment, the tool will incorporate a comprehensive consideration of various factors such as costs ( Investment costs, operational costs, and maintenance costs of the renewable energy infrastructure); available incentive schemes: Integrating potential funding opportunities, such as those offered under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) and revenues (income from grid sales, incentives related to self-consumption configurations for renewable energy sharing (CACER), compensation from ARERA (Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and Environment), savings on electricity supply costs, and revenues from other available incentives and financing options). The tool is currently in the development phase, then it will be tested and improved according to stakeholder feedback. It will become more widely available with the opening of the OSS in our offices in Teramo.

Can you tell the main elements of innovation of the Service?

The main element of innovation is the simplified user interface and a more complete one that supports calculations. System innovation involves the creation of a report to be distributed to the user containing the results of the preliminary assessment.

Future Steps

What are the future steps now?

The service has already been introduced to part of our users (Municipality of Castelli, Municipality of Tortoreto and Diocese of Ascoli Piceno).

The stakeholders involved have shown interest in the service and they consider useful for the initial phase of CEP establishment and essential to understand the technical and economic feasibility of the investment in order to assess its sustainability. Consumers see it as crucial for facilitating the decision-making process.

The tool will also be integrated into the interactive guidebook.

Thanks for your time AGENA, and good luck with your work!

Thank you AISFOR for giving us the possibility to share our new service.

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ITALIAN CONTEXT

Characteristics of the service

Future Steps

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