Community energy storage: A responsible innovation towards a sustainable energy system?

Highlights: • An overview of the state of the art in community energy storage (CES) is provided. • CES is conceptualized and analyzed as complex socio-technical system. • Responsibility in CES design and implementation is operationalized. • CES is not only technical but also social innovation. • The added-value of CES go beyond economic benefits to wider societal benefits. The decreasing cost of energy storage and increasing demand for local flexibility are opening up new possibilities for energy storage deployment at the local level. Community energy storage (CES) is expected to contribute positively towards energy transition while accommodating the needs and expectations of citizens and local communities. Yet, the technological and societal challenges of integrating CES in the largely centralized present energy system demand for socio-technical innovation. In this article, we develop and discuss several configurations of CES. Applying system innovation and socio-technical transition frameworks and conceptualizing CES as a complex socio-technical system, different dynamics of CES in the energy systems such as coordination and interaction among actors and components of CES and the larger energy system is explored. The responsible research and innovation (RRI) framework can provide a new discourse in design and implementation of CES, facilitating the transition to a sustainable, reliable, inclusive and affordable future energy system.