Influence of Load Profiles Data on the Performance Evaluation of REC

Although the interest of the scientific community in energy communities is growing, defining load profiles remains a challenging task, particularly when considering the energy renovation of existing buildings involved in renewable energy communities. If consumption profiles are unknown, they must be estimated using either simulation tools or simplified models. While simulation tools provide more accurate results, they require significant computational effort and cannot be easily generalized to other energy communities. Conversely, simplified models allow for the evaluation of the electric load profiles of buildings in renew-able energy communities by considering only a few key building characteristics. This paper investigates the influence of load profile selection on the performance evaluation of renewable energy communities. Specifically, performance was assessed using a simplified model based on monthly electricity consumption and compared with real sub-hourly primary meter data. The study focused on a renewable energy community comprising three different buildings: an office, a school and a residential condominium. The analysis assumed a photovoltaic sys-tem installed on solar carports located in a parking area in Parma, the site of the renewable energy community.