Renewable and local energy communities are viewed as a key component to the success of the energy transition. In this paper, we estimate wind power potential for such communities. Acquiring the most accurate weather data is important to support decision-making. We identify the most reliable publicly available wind speed data and demonstrate a case study for typical energy community scenarios such as a single commercial turbine at coastal and inland locations in Ireland. We describe our assessment methodology to evaluate the quality of the wind source data by comparing it with meteorological observations. We make recommendations on which publicly available wind data sources, such as reanalysis data sources (MERRA-2, ERA-5), PVGIS, and NEWA are best suited to support Renewable Energy Communities interested in exploring the possibilities of renewable wind energy. ERA5 is deemed to be the most suitable wind data source for these locations, while an anomaly is noted in the NEWA data.

The Baltic countries are exploring diverse ways to achieve renewable energy objectives, with a particular emphasis on utilizing photovoltaic (PV) technologies in urban areas. Despite the northerly geographical location, PV energy has proven effective, particularly in individual households under the net metering scheme. Energy communities (EC) in urban areas have the potential to support sustainable energy transition by promoting local generation and increasing resilience. However, the broader adoption of rooftop PV systems faces numerous challenges, including technical limitations and legislative gaps. This study examines challenges encountered by community energy projects in residential apartments through a case study in the Latvian context. The paper provides a comparative analysis of PV community implementation scenarios across the three types of typical apartment buildings. The study demonstrates a number of fundamental obstacles that hamper the development of ECs in apartment buildings. The results indicate that the economic benefits of ECs largely depend on electricity market price, and that selection of optimal community design is the key aspect for minimizing investment risks amid market and legislative uncertainty. Results indicate that individual households may have limited motivation to form ECs under current policies. Finally, the insights provided help shape suggestions for future research.

Promoting the development of energy communities is one of the planned development areas mentioned in the Latvian National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP). Even though energy communities do not yet exist in Latvia, they could improve the quality of the environment and stimulate the local economy. In any case, it is expected that the structure of household energy consumption in Latvia will change as households start to adopt new technologies such as electric cars and heat pumps, as well as participate in energy production and demand response. Often the starting point for the development of an energy community is the geographic location of consumers. Therefore, for this study, a microdistrict was chosen in one of the most developed suburbs of Riga in Latvia, in which 76 households are located. The study identified five milestones on the path from mere neighborhood to the energy community. The resLoadSIM Residential Load Simulation tool was chosen to simulate realistic energy consumption with a 1-minute time resolution, as well as to model the future solar energy consumption and generation in the community on its way to becoming an energy community and meeting these goals. The network constraints associated with the transformer and lines are taken into account and it is assumed that the district will not invest in the development and expansion of the network. Based on the results of the modelling, an analysis was made of the impact of the development of the energy community in Latvia and how each stage of development will affect energy consumption, the amount of renewable energy, the energy sent to the grid, the power consumed directly, and the share of solar energy in energy consumption.