‘The whole is greater than the sum of the parts': assessing the suitability of energy communities for the creation of positive energy districts

Lowering the immense share of urban areas in global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (70 per cent) is notoriously difficult due to a lack of space and grid capacity. While positive energy districts (PEDs) aim at matching consumption and production profiles of buildings to efficiently use various capacities jointly, this concept is not explicitly facilitated through law. Based on experiences from two cities aiming to develop PEDs, Alkmaar and Évora, this article assesses whether energy communities are suitable to develop PEDs in cities from an EU law perspective. Although a promising concept, there are some mismatches between the legal definition and the needs of PEDs in reality.