An Energy Community is a group of final customers who collaborate in energy production and consumption. A simple example is a cooperative of citizens and small enterprises, which owns a PV solar system and sells the energy (through an energy company) to its members.
An energy community is different from a company in that it is not solely interested in commercial value creation. Energy communities can be organised such that they contribute to local social value creation; climate-related goals; and/or to economic goals.
The term energy community has been introduced by the EU, and for the legal definitions, see https://energy-communities-repository.ec.europa.eu/energy-communities_en
REScoop Europe has also produced a document on the definitions of energy community: https://www.rescoop.eu/uploads/rescoop/downloads/QA-What-are-citizens-energy-communities-renewable-energy-communities-in-the-CEP.pdf