The research activities carried out by Spoke 6 - WP3 focus on four distinct lines of research: Positive Energy Districts (PEDs), the role of energy communities in accelerating the energy transition, cost and benefit trade-offs of investments in energy communities, and interventions on urban congestion.
The first research line focuses on developing tools and guidelines for an ecological transition at the neighborhood level in the Mediterranean area. The research involves assessing the carbon footprint of an existing non-residential district case study (UNIPA Campus) to determine the environmental and economic costs of achieving PED status. The team aims to provide feasibility studies and policy implications at the EU level. The research also extends to developing a methodological model for urban applications and a repository for data visualization.
The second research line investigates the role of energy communities in energy transition acceleration. The research covers data analysis, legislative reviews, the development of a dataset on Italian renewable energy communities, business model proposals, questionnaire drafting, and a literature review on the impact of energy communities in fostering various transitions.
A third research line, dedicated to Renewable Energy Communities (RECs), focuses on modeling RECs as coalitions implementing renewable energy projects. The study considers sources of revenue, market prices, subsidies, and consumption, presenting RECs as a modified stag-hunt game. The research explores the dynamics of cooperation, individual and community-level decision-making, and the impact of different parameters on REC equilibrium.
The fourth research team concentrates on interventions to enhance sustainability in traffic-congested environments. The team designs laboratory experiments using a threshold public goods game to investigate the impact of a road navigation system on traffic congestion and CO2 emissions. The study aims to understand individual and group behavior concerning negative externalities associated with congestion and the implication of the adoption of a navigation system that manages congestion.
