Global diffusion and key features of Energy Communities with a main focus on building loads modelling and management: A review

The whole world is moving towards energy communities and energy sharing, each country with its own history, resources, and needs that determine different legislations and infrastructures, but above all different application models. This paper reviews the literature on Energy Communities (ECs), with a focus on Renewable Energy Communities (RECs), in promoting decarbonization and enhancing the flexibility of energy systems through decentralized energy generation, storehouse, and demand-side management. A systematic review on the classification of aggregation forms and global worldwide development of ECs is also conducted. The paper also explores the integration of renewable energy sources (RES), energy storage systems (ESS) and smart technologies, demand response strategies applications able to improve the overall benefits of the communities, and the importance of prosumers behavior in achieving energy effectiveness. Case studies recently analyzed by prominent scholars and researchers are analyzed to show the design objectives and the key features in REC scenarios and their impact on energy systems and on the national transmission grid. The findings present the challenges and openings in RECs diffusion and their role in the broader energy transition scenario.