Renewable Energy Communities (REC) represent a distributed and collaborative model of production and consumption, playing a crucial role in the energy transition. The research activity, whose preliminary results are outlined in this article, focuses on the role of local authorities in the dissemination of RECs, conducting a survey of the complex of policies, mostly public, promoting the ongoing energy transition in the Italian regions and autonomous provinces.

The starting point is the legislative repertoire, a procedural framework encompassing various categories of measures to promote RECs (financial support actions, coordination mechanisms between public and private actors, guidelines for energy asset management, evaluation and monitoring programs, etc.). Interpreting the results of the comparative analysis and highlighting recurring elements and territorial differentiations among regional policies, the article reflects on the enabling and disabling factors in the diffusion of RECs in the Italian territory. Its aim is to facilitate mutual learning paths among regional actors involved in the energy transition.