Abstract

Existing power systems are both weak and vulnerable when it comes to environmental threats, whether these occur due to natural disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes or extreme weather phenomena like torrential rains and hail. Under these circumstances, urban and rural communities are continuously evolving towards more self-balanced, self-sustainable electrical arrangements. This paper gives a brief overview of the existing energy community models, the technologies involved, and the services, along with some background in order to illustrate how these come about and what the conditions and requirements are to advance such initiatives, from both the private and the public sectors.