A multi-criteria approach to optimize the design-operation of Energy Communities considering economic-environmental objectives and demand side management.

• A comparison between energy communities modelled as aggregation of prosumers. • A multi-objective optimization of the design and operation of energy communities. • Demand Side Management as a powerful tool for improving the energy community design. • Reduction in the cost of energy and CO 2 emissions of 14% and 24%, respectively. • Community demand management enhances the exploitation of renewable energy sources. This paper focuses on three different configurations of energy communities (ECs) modelled as aggregations of local prosumers of renewable electric and thermal energy. The goal consists in improving the economic performance of the ECs while contributing to address the issue of climate change and fulfilling the existing energy demands or demands modified with smart strategies. Accordingly, type and size of the energy conversion and storage units of the prosumers included into ECs (design) and their operation are optimized with a bi-objective approach, considering investment and operation costs, and greenhouse gas emissions, both direct due to fuel burning, and indirect due to life cycle, as objectives to minimize. Moreover, two strategies of demand side management (DSM) are considered: a price-based demand response program applied downstream of the design optimization, and a new DSM model, which adapts the electricity demand to the renewable energy sources locally available, applied upstream of the design optimization. It results that the proposed DSM can ensure a better balancing between generation and demand profiles, thereby decreasing the stress on the electricity grid. Globally, ECs can reduce their energy expenditure of 14% and the overall CO 2 -equivalent emissions of 24% compared to the reference case of the simple consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]