Shared Understanding of Local Energy Community Terminology: A Catalyst for Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement

Local Energy Communities (LECs) are an essential component of the clean energy transition in Europe. However, differences in terminology and interpretation across disciplines and among stakeholder groups present challenges to their effective development and operation. This paper explores three key concepts frequently encountered in LEC research and practice: prosumers and self-consumption, flexibility and demand response, and uncertainty. We provide both a Power Systems and an Operations Research (OR) perspective on each term, highlighting how varying definitions can lead to misunderstandings and misaligned decision models. By promoting greater clarity and shared understanding of these terms, we aim to support more effective interdisciplinary collaboration and the development of robust decision support tools for the design and operation of LECs.