Abstract

Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) aim to promote more participatory and democratic energy production processes, supported by smart technologies, innovative financing, and national regulations and economics to fulfil energy transition. This paper explores RECs as socio-technical innovations, analyzing public discourse through media channels. The study unites categories developed within Science and Technology Studies (STS) with media analysis of energy to comprehend the discourse and political significance attributed to a potentially revolutionary process of supporting energy transition. The focus of this research is on how RECs are discussed, framed and which stakeholders are involved in the Italian media’s portrayal. The analysis is based on 500 articles released in eight major Italian newspapers from 2012 to 2022. It further aims to highlight the role assigned by political actors to communities and technologies. Until early 2020, this topic received minimal attention in newspapers. However, also due to Italy’s regulatory push, press coverage has risen considerably. Nevertheless, compared to other energy transition-related technologies, the coverage remains relatively low. The increase in media coverage is interwoven with a narrative surrounding energy poverty. The broader public discussion appears to favour a sort of «technological welfare» embodied by RECs for addressing inflation and raising energy cost instead of embracing communitarian approaches that were originally thought to motivate the formation of RECs. This dynamic pertains to influential players cited in the articles, such as representatives of public institutions and large corporate investors.