From Energy Management to Energy Guardianship: A Sustainability Framework for Protecting Vulnerable Households in Renewable Energy Communities

Abstract

Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) are transforming citizens from passive consumers into active participants in local energy systems. However, conventional energy management strategies mainly pursue technical, environmental, and economic objectives, such as reducing costs, limiting peak demand, and maximizing renewable self-consumption, while often overlooking the protection of vulnerable users and their access to essential energy services.

This paper introduces Energy Guardianship, a framework that extends conventional energy management by integrating environmental efficiency, economic sustainability, and social protection into a unified decision-making process. Household loads are classified according to their relevance to essential user needs, allowing critical and essential appliances to receive priority under energy-constrained conditions. A Social Energy Reserve is also introduced to allocate a predefined share of locally generated renewable energy and/or battery capacity to the protection of vulnerable households.

The proposed framework is assessed through a Renewable Energy Community case study comparing conventional energy management with the Guardianship approach. Environmental, economic, and social indicators quantify renewable energy utilization, grid dependence, energy costs, and continuity of essential services.

The study highlights that maximizing economic or environmental performance does not necessarily ensure socially sustainable energy allocation. Energy Guardianship therefore provides a pathway toward energy communities that are not only efficient and economically viable, but also inclusive and capable of protecting vulnerable users.

The results demonstrate that energy efficiency and cost minimization alone do not necessarily ensure socially sustainable energy allocation. By combining priority-based load management with a Social Energy Reserve, Energy Guardianship enables Renewable Energy Communities to evolve from simple energy sharing toward energy protection.