Energy transition planning in Italy: an exploration of emerging trends and a focus on renewable energy communities

Energy transition planning is adapting to socio-ecological challenges with new tools and approaches. This article examines a broad set of local and regional plans in Italy to assess their support for local energy transitions, focusing on renewable energy communities (RECs). The findings show a growing number of energy-related planning processes but reveal uneven territorial distribution and limited coordination. Community-led planning may enhance context sensitivity, especially in relation to landscape protection rooted in heritage values, while ensuring that renewable energy revenues contribute to local development and the restoration of climate injustice. In Italy, this approach is limited by regulatory and policy frameworks that favour utility-scale renewable energy projects and market actors. Future research should investigate underexplored categories, such as local spatial strategies, while refining the conceptualisation of energy transition planning in light of the rapid expansion of RECs.