Energy Community e Green Community come ausilio alla promozione delle “Aree Interne”

This research work is part of the framework of public policies oriented towards ecological transition, decarbonization of the economy and strengthening territorial cohesion. The survey focuses on the role of Energy Communities and Green Communities as legal, economic and social instruments capable of promoting sustainable development and energy autonomy in the Italian Internal Areas, territories often marked by depopulation, infrastructural marginalization and energy poverty. The thesis proposes a rereading of such Areas not as intrinsically fragile spaces, but as strategic laboratories for institutional innovation, ecological transition and experimentation with participatory models of development. Through an interdisciplinary and multilevel approach, which intertwines public law, territorial governance and sustainability policies, the research highlights the need to overcome the traditional vision of Internal Areas as “weak areas”, recognizing instead their environmental, cultural and human potential. Special attention is paid to the Madonie Area (Sicily), analysed as an emblematic case study. The experience conducted by So.Svi.Ma. SpA demonstrates the ability of this territory to activate local regeneration paths based on inter-municipal cohesion, social innovation and energy transition, configuring itself as a replicable model of participatory territorial governance. The thesis is divided into two parts: the first reconstructs the historical, socio-economic and regulatory evolution of the Italian Internal Areas; the second delves into the European and national framework of the Energy Communities, analysing their legal forms, incentive regimes and operational methods of energy sharing. Finally, the analysis of the Madonie case studies allows us to draw considerations on the role of local institutions and on the need to strengthen multilevel governance mechanisms and technical-administrative support tools to encourage the diffusion and sustainability of energy communities in peripheral contexts.