Abstract
The power and energy sector transition into decentralized and distributed models brings a set of challenges that need to be overcome. Among them is consumer empowerment, which requires secure economic transactions and reliable system operation. Thus, new technologies and procedures such as blockchain have gained prominence, due to their reliability and privacy-preserving capabilities. These characteristics are essential for the proliferation of energy community markets. Therefore, this paper provides an overview of blockchain technology applicability to consumer-centric electricity markets, highlighting existing projects and initiatives. Additionally, key enablers and barriers to blockchain deployment in local electricity markets are discussed, followed by a roadmap for the comprehensive adoption of such technology.

Abstract

Abstract
Fundamental electricity market models tend to underestimate the real market prices because they do not properly represent the real variable production cost of the generation units, nor the strategic markup that generation companies add to their costs to price the offered energy. This markup can increase bid prices above the marginal cost of the generation units, which may leave bids out of the market, decreasing the total cleared production, but increasing the final market price. This paper proposes a simple procedure, based on the real market outcomes, to estimate these markups and improve CEVESA MIBEL market model by reducing the gap between the simulated and the real market prices.

Abstract
Building renewable energy communities (REC) involves investments on generation facilities (such as PV panels), technologies to provide flexibility (such as batteries), management platforms and ICT systems, as well as integrating other flexibility sources such as thermal storage or electric vehicles. The way investments are made by the REC's members and other third parties is in close relationship with the governance models of the REC in terms of energy, flexibility and costs and benefits sharing, which, in the end, constitute the overall REC's business model. This works provides a revision of the main financing mechanisms to invest on and build a REC, and of the associated governance and business models that result from the investments mechanisms selected and its implications on its day by day operation. © 2022 IEEE.

Abstract
Final consumers can be organized in collective self-consumption structures and energy communities to share and trade among them the energy they produce locally and can also be potential providers of flexibility services to the grid. However, the integration of local and wholesale electricity markets is still a matter of development, demanding innovative solutions that consider, among other things, the impact of the energy transfers from the activated flexibility on the balancing responsible parties' portfolio in the context of the wholesale settlement rules. This work proposes an innovative design for the integration of local energy markets and local flexibility markets based on the current collective selfconsumption regulation in Portugal. The main roles and contractual framework are defined and the energy transfer of activated flexibility between aggregators and retailers is tackled using regular LEM energy transfers.

Abstract
This paper proposes an energy community management system for local energy sharing with grid flexibility services to solve the potential grid constraints of the local distribution network. A three-stage model is proposed. Stage 1 is the individual minimization of the energy bill of each prosumer by optimizing the schedules of its battery. The second stage optimizes the energy bill of the energy community by sharing internally the prosumers energy surplus and re-dispatching their batteries, while guaranteeing that each new individual prosumer energy bill is always equal or less than its stage 1 bill. The third stage is performed by the DSO to solve the grid constraints by re-dispatching the batteries, curtailing local generation or reducing consumption. Stage 3 minimizes the impact on stage 2 by minimizing the loss of profit or utility of every prosumer which is compensated accordingly.