Renewable Energy Community Model and Energy Sharing Concept: A Positive Contributor to Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

Innovative, inclusive, and sustainable energy solutions are essential to the worldwide pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Encouraging ecologically friendly energy methods and strengthening local communities, the shift to renewable energy communities (RECs) has benefits that are essential to reaching the SDGs in terms of economic, environmental, and social aspects. REC, as per the Renewable Energy Directive II (RED II), has become an attractive concept in Europe, as it is a revolutionary sociotechnical idea that encourages environmental stewardship, local energy autonomy, and citizen empowerment. RECs allow the users (prosumers and consumers) to become part of an energy community where prosumers can effectively self-consume their own generated energy from renewable energy sources (RESs) and then sell extra energy to the grid and share with consumers through the grid for their energy demands, resulting in decreased losses and increased economic benefits from the sharing incentives. These RECs also make a substantial contribution to SDGs 7 and SDG 13 by streamlining energy flows and reducing dependency on nonrenewable energy sources. By creating energy-resilient and self-sufficient systems, encouraging economic growth (SDG 8), and promoting infrastructure innovation (SDG 9), RECs also help achieve SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). This work focuses on the REC model and the energy sharing concept, considering the participants in the model. Additionally, it highlights the role of RECs in achieving the SDGs by utilizing the RESs and involving the local users in the community. Moreover, the study highlights the positive impacts and challenges, and also ends with future suggestions to encourage the growth of RECs and suggests a better opportunity to implement to achieve SDGs using RESs.