## 2 Detailed Analysis of the Literature
### Prosumer Communities
#### 2.1.5 Prosumer Management  
Effective management of prosumers is essential for sustainable energy sharing within the smart grid. Two management approaches are individual integration method and simple-group integration forming a VPP or microgrid [10; 11]. Due to the shortcomings of these approaches, the authors introduced a framework to manage prosumers as goal-based virtual PCGs [10; 11]. Prosumers across various geographies demonstrating same energy sharing patterns virtually connect with one another to form a community and achieve a common goal such as provisioning a fixed amount of energy every week [10]. In this approach, having similar behaviors and interests lead to stronger ties and reduceddisagreements among members [5]. Furthermore, sharing a common goal motivates the members to fulfill this goal and guarantees the quantity of energy supply to the grid, which consequently reinforces their bargaining power and enables long-term sustainability [11]. The organization, motivation, and overall control of prosumers are the three most essential components of the prosumer management domain [5]. Prosumer organization requires a comprehensive analysis of prosumers' behaviors and preferences. Their behavior profiles help in selecting the appropriate prosumers to participate in the energy sharing program and form the PCG. Prosumer motivation aims to positively influence the prosumers' attitude to enable consistent energy sharing behavior within the smart grid. It involves encouraging active prosumers to improve their contribution and attracting passive prosumers (i.e., prosumers who do not share energy), to participate in the energy sharing. Prosumer overall control consists of five aspects: (i) communication/negotiation to build trust and develop mutual understanding among the prosumers, (ii) standard/ethics definition to ensure compliance when joining the energy sharing process, (iii) prosumer assessment to identify influential prosumers and members who do not meet expectations, (iv) incentive/penalty distribution to motivate positive contribution from prosumers, and (v) risk assessment to identify negative prosumer behaviors, evaluate vulnerability and prevent long term negative effects to the energy sharing process [5]. In managing prosumers, understanding their energy behavior profiles, activities, and processes is critical. The prosumer profile is the set of characteristics of the user that may influence their energy demand. This data may include various aspects such as the demographic and family information, type of real estate the user lives in, occupancy status, style of work and hobbies, usage budget limit, and devices utilized including their usage patterns [5; 55]. One study analyzed the energy generation, consumption and sharing behaviors of Australian solar PV users [8]. The analysis generated summer and winter energy patterns of prosumers. Results show that the profiles vary over day and month of the year. Therefore, the authors recommend putting into consideration the variable nature of energy profiles when investigating prosumers [8]. Furthermore, examining prosumer behavior profiles is vital during energy system planning. Analysis of all the factors that dominate prosumers' behaviors and interactions within the smart grid helps in shaping the system load profile and forecasting the energy demand [56]. To illustrate this principle, a proposed methodology models car drivers' behavior to assess how charging of electric vehicles influence the utility grid in Dutch residential areas [56]. Findings reveal that a rise in electric vehicles requires a corresponding increase in communication between electric vehicles and utilities [56]. Consequently, based on prosumer behavior profiles, energy system planning identifies appropriate energy consumption optimization techniques. The literature suggests various techniques. One of these is to follow an optimal schedule to use household appliances.