This Handbook examines the regulatory, social, financial, and technological issues pertaining to energy communities in smart cities. Evidencing the emergence of new imperatives at the intersection of sustainability, resilience, innovation, and legal issues, energy communities embody the thrust of the user-centred digital transformation our societies are subjected to today. By bridging the energy communities’ debate with smart cities research, this Handbook positions itself at the heart of the conversation on energy sustainability, climate action, and ‘just transition’. Drawing on contributions from across the globe, this book offers both a birds-eye and a detailed inter- and multidisciplinary insight into the emergence of energy communities and their evolution in the smart city context. Technological and regulatory aspects of this transition are explored from a variety of conceptual and empirical perspectives. Case studies evidencing developments in the Global South and the Global North embellish the conversation. Questions of climate change, energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, emissions’ reduction, and corresponding policy frameworks are discussed. Dedicated to all those interested in climate action, energy transition, sustainable development, and smart cities, this Handbook will be of interest to policymakers, lawyers, energy and urban experts, researchers, and students.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the energy policies in the European Union and Japan in terms of electricity markets and climate action, including energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, and the reduction of emissions. The book evaluates and compares the regulatory frameworks for achieving energy transitions by answering a number of questions focused on the essence and range of the regulatory models used by leading global economies which herald carbon neutrality by 2050. The book provides a useful framework that systematises Japanese and European energy policies and legislation including electricity-related policies, plans, and programmes. Discussing these issues in relation to the European and Japanese 2050 energy transition the author delves into the four pillars of the transition: market reform, reduction of emissions, promotion of renewables, and enhancing energy efficiency. Each chapter demonstrates the timing of the actions undertaken both in Europe and Japan; analyses the character of the conducted actions, evaluates the stakeholders of the realised agenda; and presents the technologies involved in the energy transition.