Virtual Renewable Energy Sharing (VRES) is a model that allows consumers to access renewable energy produced at remote sites, such as solar farms or wind parks without installing equipment on their own premises. It operates through a digital platform that links users to shared renewable assets, measures generation and consumption through advanced metering, and allocates a defined virtual share of clean energy to each participant. Credits or bill reductions are calculated through secure settlement systems, which may include smart contracts or digital ledger technologies where appropriate. VRES aggregates distributed energy resources and provides real-time visibility into usage patterns and environmental benefits. 

The model reduces many limitations associated with traditional ownership-based approaches. Whereas rooftop solar or similar systems require upfront investment, suitable property conditions and long-term commitments, VRES lowers physical and financial and allows flexible participation levels. Consumers do not need to own assets or manage maintenance, enabling broader access – including for renters, apartment residents and users unable to install on-site systems. Pooling generation across multiple renewable sites can also improve alignment between production and consumption, enhance grid flexibility and support higher renewable utilization. Automated, transparent accounting frameworks help maintain traceability, while utilities and prosumers can offer new subscription- or usage-based clean-energy services.[1,2]

Main outcomes of the solution 

• Affordability: Reduces system and consumer costs by improving utilisation of renewable assets, lowering dependence on peak generation and enabling access to clean energy without upfront investment, thereby supporting a more cost-effective transition. 
• Reliability & Flexibility: Aggregates diverse renewable resources and integrates real-time data to improve forecasting accuracy, smooth variability and enhance system flexibility through coordinated participation of prosumers and distributed assets. 
• Sustainability: Accelerates decarbonization by expanding access to clean energy, increasing the utilization of renewable generation, and displacing fossil-based electricity consumption, thereby supporting a more resource-efficient and low-carbon power system. 

Key deployment and scaling factors 

1. Regulatory and policy alignment to establish stable rules for virtual allocation, participant eligibility and credit settlement. 
2. Advanced metering and data infrastructure to provide accurate, real-time measurement of generation and consumption. 
3. Interoperable platform architecture that integrates utility systems, grid operators, distributed energy resources and compliance tools. 
4. Renewable resource aggregation to build flexible, diversified portfolios that can reliably serve participant demand at scale. 
5. Automated digital settlement systems for billing, credit calculation and financial transfers as participation grows. 
6. Robust cybersecurity and data-privacy safeguards to protect user data and maintain trust in digital energy platforms. 

Case Study 

Enel (2025)​, Italy 

In 2025, Enel launched ebitts, a digital platform developed in collaboration with Conio that uses the blockchain-based infrastructure to tokenize utility-scale renewable plants and certify the allocation of fractional production shares to customers. Through the platform, users can acquire a “Token Box,” representing a defined share of electricity generated by particular solar and wind installations in Italy, including a photovoltaic plant near Tarquinia and a wind farm in Baselice. Customers choose subscription duration of 10, 15, or 20 years.  

Once active, each Token Box entitles the user to a proportion of actual renewable output. This production is tracked digitally and netted against the user’s electricity consumption, generating bill credits, with surplus production convertible into further bill reductions based on wholesale market valuation. A Token Box may be associated with multiple PODs, enabling allocation of benefits across multiple supply points. Users can monitor generation, consumption alignment and bill impacts through a dedicated mobile application.[3,4]

References: 

1. Using Digitalisation in EMDEs to Enable Demand Response in Buildings I IEA (July 2023)
2. Virtual Power Plants and Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems I NREL (July 2025)
3. Ebitts: The Renewable Energy Revolution Within Everyone's Reach I Enel (April 2025)
4. Information provided to World Economic Forum I Enel (November 2025)