Developing Sustainable Energy Communities in Friuli Venezia Giulia: Motivations, Value Creation, Localisation, and Public Administration Support

This dissertation investigates the conditions under which local sustainability initiatives generate meaningful environmental, social and economic outcomes, with a focus on Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) and agri-food systems. Although these initiatives are central to contemporary energy and sustainability policy debates, they are often presented through simplified narratives that underestimate the roles of institutional arrangements, technical constraints, and stakeholder engagement. The research addresses three complementary questions: (i) how different stakeholder groups perceive RECs and how awareness, expectations, and perceived barriers vary across actors; (ii) how spatial analysis and techno-economic modelling can be integrated to support early-stage REC planning by public administrations; and (iii) to what extent food miles and local food serve as reliable indicators of environmental sustainability. The dissertation adopts a mixed-methods research design. Stakeholder perceptions are analysed using survey data collected during eleven regional dissemination events in Friuli Venezia Giulia and examined through Multiple Correspondence Analysis. The technical and economic feasibility of RECs is assessed through an integrated framework combining Geographic Information Systems with ENEA’s RECON techno-economic simulator, applied to a municipal case study involving a predefined photovoltaic installation and public buildings as loads. The agri-food component is based on a structured literature review of 119 peer-reviewed studies, focusing on methodological choices in environmental impact assessment. The results show that engagement with RECs is heterogeneous and strongly shaped by governance clarity, administrative capacity, and perceived economic feasibility. The spatial–economic analysis reveals that used public anchor loads, such as schools, may create seasonal mismatches between energy production and consumption, reducing economic performance under existing incentive schemes. The agri-food analysis demonstrates that distance-based indicators alone provide an incomplete representation of environmental impacts, which depend on production methods, logistics, and system organisation. The dissertation contributes to sustainability transition research by showing that local initiatives are effective only when institutional design, technical configuration, and social participation are aligned. The findings offer empirically grounded insights for policymakers, operational support for public administrations, and transferable analytical approaches for researchers working on energy and agri-food sustainability.

This dissertation investigates the conditions under which local sustainability initiatives generate meaningful environmental, social and economic outcomes, with a focus on Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) and agri-food systems. Although these initiatives are central to contemporary energy and sustainability policy debates, they are often presented through simplified narratives that underestimate the roles of institutional arrangements, technical constraints, and stakeholder engagement. The research addresses three complementary questions: (i) how different stakeholder groups perceive RECs and how awareness, expectations, and perceived barriers vary across actors; (ii) how spatial analysis and techno-economic modelling can be integrated to support early-stage REC planning by public administrations; and (iii) to what extent food miles and local food serve as reliable indicators of environmental sustainability. The dissertation adopts a mixed-methods research design. Stakeholder perceptions are analysed using survey data collected during eleven regional dissemination events in Friuli Venezia Giulia and examined through Multiple Correspondence Analysis. The technical and economic feasibility of RECs is assessed through an integrated framework combining Geographic Information Systems with ENEA’s RECON techno-economic simulator, applied to a municipal case study involving a predefined photovoltaic installation and public buildings as loads. The agri-food component is based on a structured literature review of 119 peer-reviewed studies, focusing on methodological choices in environmental impact assessment. The results show that engagement with RECs is heterogeneous and strongly shaped by governance clarity, administrative capacity, and perceived economic feasibility. The spatial–economic analysis reveals that used public anchor loads, such as schools, may create seasonal mismatches between energy production and consumption, reducing economic performance under existing incentive schemes. The agri-food analysis demonstrates that distance-based indicators alone provide an incomplete representation of environmental impacts, which depend on production methods, logistics, and system organisation. The dissertation contributes to sustainability transition research by showing that local initiatives are effective only when institutional design, technical configuration, and social participation are aligned. The findings offer empirically grounded insights for policymakers, operational support for public administrations, and transferable analytical approaches for researchers working on energy and agri-food sustainability.