# Energy Communities Design Optimization in the Italian Framework
## 4 Results
### Optimal Design Results
On the other hand, in Scenario B, due to the installation of the PV-HP-TES bundle, the SSP configuration is also able to take advantage of the physical self-consumption (+5.5 MWh/y with respect to case A) with an optimal PV size of slightly more than 14 kW (pretty close to the maximum available surface). Indeed, the energy system design of B-SSP brings about an economic saving of almost 3 k EUR/y and a CO\({}_{2}\) emission reduction of around 15 ton/y with respect to case A. Both in Scenario A and B, the EC configuration allows for a considerable rate of self-consumption of the PV production: around 70% and 86%, respectively. In case A-EC, such a self-consumption rate brings about an economic pay-off for the members on the community (2.68 k EUR/y reduction of operating costs, equal to \(-\)23%) and an environmental benefit as well (4.42 ton/y reduction of CO\({}_{2}\) emissions, equal to \(-\)15%). In particular, the results in case B are due to the combination of a more extended electrification (PV-HP-TES) with the collective self-consumption (see Table 6), which, together, lead to an economic saving of 3.78 k EUR/y and a CO\({}_{2}\) emission reduction of almost 18 ton/y with respect to the reference case (operating costs: \(-\)32%; CO\({}_{2}\) emissions: \(-\)65%). In particular, the effect of the electrification investment can be estimated by comparing B-EC and A-EC (\(-\)1.1 k EUR and \(-\)14.3 tCO\({}_{2}\)), \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline  & & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**u.m.**} & \multirow{2}{*}{**Ref.**} & \multicolumn{3}{c}{**A**} & \multicolumn{3}{c}{**B**} \\ \cline{4-10}  & & & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**SSP**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**EC**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**EC-**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**SSP**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**EC**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**EC-Ideal**} \\ \hline
**Gas** & **consumption** & **kSm3** & 9.74 & 0.00 & 0.00 & 0.00 & \(-\)9.74 & \(-\)9.74 & \(-\)9.74 \\ \hline \multirow{10}{*}{**Electricity**} & **consumption** & **MWh** & 30.09 & 0.00 & 0.00 & 0.00 & +17.73 & +17.73 & +17.73 \\  & **production** & **MWh** & 0.00 & +0.48 & +19.23 & +26.34 & +18.26 & +19.23 & +46.84 \\  & **import** & **MWh** & 30.09 & \(-\)0.20 & \(-\)13.38 & \(-\)14.89 & +11.98 & +1.14 & \(-\)7.24 \\  & **export** & **MWh** & 0.00 & +0.28 & +5.85 & +11.45 & +12.51 & +2.62 & +21.82 \\ \cline{2-10}  & **physical** & **MWh** & 0.00 & +0.20 & +0.27 & +0.27 & +5.75 & +5.07 & +9.83 \\  & **self-consumption** & **\%** & 0.00 & 41.15\% & +1.42\% & 1.04\% & 31.49\% & 26.36\% & 20.98\% \\ \cline{2-10}  & **collective** & **MWh** & 0.00 & 0.00 & +13.11 & +14.62 & 0.00 & +11.55 & +15.19 \\  & **self-consumption** & **\%** & 0.00 & 0.00 & 68.16\% & 55.00\% & 0.00 & 60.04\% & 32.44\% \\ \cline{2-10}  & **total** & **MWh** & 0.00 & +0.198 & +13.38 & +14.89 & +5.75 & +16.62 & +25.02 \\  & **self-consumption** & **\%** & 0.00 & 41.15\% & 69.58\% & 56.53\% & 31.49\% & 86.40\% & 53.42\% \\ \hline \multirow{10}{*}{CO\({}_{2}\)} & **electricity** & **ton** & 9.93 & \(-\)0.07 & \(-\)4.42 & \(-\)4.92 & +3.95 & +0.38 & \(-\)2.39 \\  & **gas** & **ton** & 19.14 & 0.00 & 0.00 & 0.00 & \(-\)19.14 & \(-\)19.14 & \(-\)19.14 \\  & **TOT** & **ton** & 29.07 & \(-\)0.07 & \(-\)4.42 & \(-\)4.92 & \(-\)15.18 & \(-\)18.76 & \(-\)21.53 \\ \hline \multirow{10}{*}{**Economics**} & **electricity** & & & & & & & & \\ \cline{2-10}  & **exchange**: & & & & & & & & \\ \cline{1-1}  & **bill (A)** & **k EUR** & 6.38 & \(-\)0.03 & \(-\)0.05 & \(-\)0.05 & +3.12 & +3.24 & \(-\)3.60 \\ \cline{1-1}  & **remuneration (B)** & **k EUR** & 0.00 & +0.03 & +2.63 & +3.24 & +1.77 & +2.16 & +3.99 \\ \cline{1-1}  & **gas (C)** & **k EUR** & 5.44 & 0.00 & 0.00 & 0.00 & \(-\)4.86 & \(-\)4.86 & \(-\)4.86 & \(-\)4.86 \\ \cline{1-1}  & **TOT (A – B + C)** & **k EUR** & 11.81 & \(-\)0.06 & \(-\)2.68 & \(-\)3.28 & \(-\)3.51 & \(-\)3.78 & \(-\)12.45 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table}