Valuing Social Impacts of Renewable Energy Communities Projects: A Choice Experiments Study in a Shrinking Rural Area

Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) have been introduced by European legislation as a new model of energy sharing, aiming to increase social benefits for local communities and enhancing the social acceptance of renewable energy sources. While social benefits are recognized as key drivers in fostering social acceptance and encouraging citizen participation, there is a dearth of studies regarding the assessment of social costs and benefits generated by RECs, espe-cially regarding community reinforcement effects. This research proposes results from a Choice Experiment study carried out in a rural area at high depopulation risk in Sardinia, Italy, to shed light on perceived social costs and benefits. Monetary valuations of relevant attributes of the proposed scenarios are estimated and then used in a Social Costs Benefits framework to assess social net benefits generated by different configurations of a REC. The results from the study indicate a strong preference for configurations fully controlled by the local community.