Community energy - benefits and barriers: A comparative literature review of Community Energy in the UK, Germany and the USA, the benefits it provides for society and the barriers it faces

The present article's aim is to sum up the knowledge generated in the field of Community Energy (CE) as of today. The geographical focus lies on Germany, the UK and the USA while the thematic focus lies on the benefits provided for society by community energy and the barriers community energy projects face in their respective countries. Key features of this review are a compilation of definitions of Community Energy and a comparison of country-specific circumstances concerning Community Energy. The aim of this review is to help the scientific community to form a common understanding of the CE concept and to show the relationship between policy schemes and CE development.