Design of a Renewable Energy Community in Frassinetto, Piedmont: technical and economic analysis

The shift towards sustainable energy sources is crucial to reduce and mitigate the impacts of climate change. In this context this thesis proposes the creation of a Renewable Energy Community in Frassinetto (TO), Piedmont, as a model for addressing global environmental issues at the local level. The research began with the evaluation of the hourly energy production over an average year using PVGIS, by strategically placing photovoltaic plants throughout the town in accordance with locations identified by the municipal administration. Concurrently, energy consumption patterns were estimated based on monthly electricity bills provided by the municipality, and battery storage capacity was calculated in order to maximize Frassinetto's independence from the national electricity grid. Considering that energy production usually exceeds consumptions, the surplus generation has been retrieved and, by leveraging the concept of virtual energy consumption within an Energy Community framework, potential participants who can virtually consume the excess energy can be identified. To conclude, an economic analysis was conducted considering the installation costs of photovoltaic systems and batteries, as well as the incentives provided by the GSE (Gestore Servizi Energetici) for the Energy Communities. The savings accrued by Frassinetto from reduced reliance on the national grid were also factored in. The cash flow obtained over the 30-year plant lifetime revealed a return on investment of 9-10 years, which makes the project viable.