Urban Polycentric Structures: Scenarios of Energy Communities of Small and Medium-Sized Cities

Climate change has harmful effects in many countries, prompting them to adopt initiatives that promote the use of renewable energy sources to mitigate extreme weather events resulting from the increase in average temperatures. The European Union recently established and strengthened new renewable energy targets for 2021-2030 through the RED II directive (Directive 2018/2001/EU). This directive encourages the participation of citizens and local communities in producing renewable energy, aiming to promote a more sustainable and decentralized energy system. It enables the creation of "energy communities", groups of citizens or small businesses that produce and manage renewable energy collaboratively. Even small municipalities are encouraged to participate in energy communities, with simplified access to the electricity market, in order to become active players in the transition towards a more sustainable and resilient energy system, reducing dependence on traditional energy sources. Our study aims to analyze the widespread and fragmented urban models comprising small and medium-sized municipalities and districts, which have developed in historical periods. The analysis aims to evaluate the possibility of creating energy communities composed of cities that potentially fall within a polycentric organization contributing with complementary functions based on their own geomorphological and socio-economic characteristics. The study area is the Salento peninsula, a historical region of south-eastern Italy. The analysis will be conducted using GIS techniques and energy simulation models to evaluate the possible aggregations in energy communities. Ultimately, this study aims to contribute to the development of a more sustainable and decentralized energy system in the Salento peninsula.