Local energy markets: opportunities, benefits, and barriers

The “Clean Energy for all Europeans” package, which the European Commission presented in late 2016, opens way for a major transition of the European energy landscape towards customer empowerment and local energy. It states that consumers within the European Union shall be entitled to generate electricity for either consume it, store it, share it, or sell it back to the market. This paper takes on those promises to overview and elaborate on the concept of local energy markets, highlight the opportunities offered to various stakeholders, and discuss identified benefits and challenges/barriers to their further development.