Besides researching, designing and implementing new solutions for local energy communities in the different pilot sites, the RENergetic project also pays ample attention to their evaluation, exploitation and impact assessment. This is the focus of WP7. In the current stage of the project, an initial market analysis has been performed, which paves the way for identifying suitable value and business models for RENergetic solutions. 

First, resulting from a stakeholder analysis, the key actors in the domain of local energy communities have been identified as an energy consumer, (local) energy producer, energy island manager, grid operator (TSO and DSO), service provider and policy maker. Essential business roles within energy communities were identified that express the key activities that can be taken up by one or more stakeholders. Mapping of actors and roles allowed to lay out the value network and organizational model behind the energy community.

Before the actual market potential can be assessment, the enabling and regulatory framework that defines the market for RENergetic solutions is to be clearly understood and the RENergetic value propositions need to be clearly articulated. For that purpose, the entire project consortium has been engaged in both a value proposition canvas workshop and a business model canvas workshop (based on Osterwalder methodology) over the last months. This resulted in an overview of generic RENergetic functional building blocks that form the basis for the actual value propositions and link to the epics used throughout the project. Four main categories of building blocks have been identified: global and domain-specific optimizers, multi-vector forecasting solutions, demand-response solutions and communication and interaction strategies. 

Using this resulting classification of functional building blocks, a preliminary competitive analysis, has been performed.  Using a structured interview approach, we ended up with a list of existing solutions on the market, either complementary or competing to the RENergetic solutions linked to electricity savings/efficiency, electricity supply and heat management. The encountered solutions have been classified according to the lifetime phases of the energy island they relate to, as well as according to the customer segment they target. This led to a first opportunity attractiveness evaluation of the RENergetic solutions, relating them to the existing solutions on the markets and plotting them along two orthogonal axes expressing the challenge versus the potential.  

Finally, business and organizational models can be identified based on a literature review. The organization models are put in relation to business models that are driven by activities (linked to RENergetic epics) carried out by the local energy community.  RENergetic tools (based on the functional building blocks) can facilitate these activities that are essential to the business models and therefore increase the value being created. Further exploring the interrelation between business model, organisational model, main activities performed and value being created is the next step to be taken and will be an important focus of the work within WP7 in the last project year.