Progetti di Ateneo

angle-left Framing Energy Poverty within Social Economy - Constitutional Perspective, Public Sector and Social Economy Contribution
Codice Progetto o altro Identificativo
P20227A85T
Denominazione Progetto
Framing Energy Poverty within Social Economy - Constitutional Perspective, Public Sector and Social Economy Contribution
Acronimo
FEPSE
Tipologia di finanziamento
Pubblica
Tipologia ambito della fonte di finanziamento
Ministeriale
Fonte di finanziamento
Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca - Decreto Direttoriale di approvazione progetto n. 1313 del 7 agosto 2023. Durata 24 mesi. Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna di Pisa, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Università del Salento
Call e/o Bando specifici
Bando Prin 2022 PNRR – Settore SH2
Referente Scientifico (nome e cognome)
Luca Gori
Compagine Progettuale
per UniSalento: Vincenzo Tondi della Mura, Michele Troisi
Data inizio
30/11/2023
Data fine
28/02/2026
Keywords
Social right to energy; Energy poverty; Energy justice; Ecological transition; Social economy; Renewable Energy Community
Abstract
The main purpose of the project is to conduct interdisciplinary research on a “new generation” social right to energy, in the perspective of contributing to minimize energy poverty on society as a whole, and as a main tool to achieve energy justice. The starting point of the proposal is the definition of the concept of energy poverty (EP), in order to try to root it in the content of a fundamental social right (right to energy) and to explore the role of the public sector and the social economy actors in its full enforcement. Having defined the content of this complex phenomenon the two pillars of the research will therefore be (a) the analysis of the constitutional location and structure of the corresponding right to energy in light of the ongoing redefinition of constitutional values within the ecological transition, and (b) to understand how the public sector could enforce the right to energy, thereby tackling EP, dedicating a special attention to the potentially pivotal role of the so-called “social economy” actors, according to European and Italian law, whose legal profile is still undefined in this matter. In this context the project identifies the so-called Renewable Energy Community (REC) as particular and innovative legal tool to try to address EP through an unprecedented form of mutualization of the means for the production of renewable energy, in order to directly satisfy the energy needs of its members. For this reason, the research will try to contextualize their activity within the law of the Third Sector, trying to correlate the response issue to energy poverty with the issue of subsidiarity approach. From the objective point of view, the research will identify the definitions of EP, considering legal sources, case law, legal and socio-economic scientific literature, as well as secondary data to quantify the phenomenon. Then, it will link the legal framework regarding energy poverty and the principles of a social and circular economy, considering that recent EU policies remark RECs’ potential key role in energy poverty mitigation. From a subjective point of view, the focus will be on the relevance of RECs as agents of social inclusion of vulnerable subjects (e.g., those in low-income or vulnerable households), examining the economic sustainability of RECs, and identifying best practices and models for their replicability. Since it will take an intertangled and complex framework into account the research is methodologically characterized by a strong interdisciplinarity. For this reason, the project involves three units (Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, University of Salento and University of Florence) with different research experiences and background so as to ensure coverage of both, legal and economic aspects.
Ambito tecnologico produttivo
Legal studies, constitutions, human rights, development economics, social economy, environmental sustainability