One of the main challenges we will face in the energy transition will be to define policies that take into account the effective participation of all end-users, in particular to ensure an inclusive and “fair” approach for all. This will require profound transformations and investments, in the spirit of the European Green Deal philosophy, in order to respect the principle that the ongoing transition “leaves no one behind”.

Specific policies will therefore have to be defined for concrete and effective mitigation of the exclusion risks of those vulnerable segments of the population who, without adequate support, would risk being marginalized and further penalized, as repeatedly stressed in the “Fit for 55” package of directives. In this context, Renewable Energy Communities (RECs), can be an important means of developing experiments and policies related to combating Energy Poverty.

This discussion seeks to explore these issues in more detail. The report opens with an analysis of Italian and European policies to mitigate and combat Energy Poverty. Through the definition of a specific Energy Poverty indicator (proposed by RSE in previous reports), the “history” of the Energy Poverty phenomenon from 2014 to 2020 is reconstructed (using the data series of the ISTAT Survey on Italian Household Expenditures for this time frame), investigating the possible effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable consumers. Finally, the possible link between Energy Poverty and Renewable Energy Communities is explored, analyzing the available scientific literature on the topic and presenting two case studies in Italy.