Building Local Energy Resilience: A Global Review of Climate Adaptation in Local Energy Communities
Theoretical and Applied Climatology, (2026), Vol. 157, No. 9
Ian B. Benitez
a,b,c
,
Kristina P. Badec
c,d
,
Jose Carlo R. Dizon
e
,
Shobhakar Dhakal
c
,
Francis Andrei De Castro
c
,
Lourdes Anne Marasigan
c
,
Mark Anthony G. Teodoro
b
,
Malena Lozada Montanari
f
,
Annlouise Genevieve Castro
c
a Research Office, FEU Institute of Technology, Manila, Philippines
b Electrical Engineering Department, FEU Institute of Technology, Manila, Philippines
c Faculty of Climate Change and Sustainability, Asian Institute of Technology, Pathum Thani, Thailand
d Electronics Engineering Department, University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines, Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines
e Department of Agricultural and Food Engineering, Cavite State University, Indang, Cavite, Philippines
f Department of Atmospheric and Oceanographic Sciences, Faculty of Exact and Nature Sciences, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Abstract: Climate change is intensifying the frequency, magnitude, and compound nature of climate hazards, placing increasing stress on electricity systems originally designed for stationary climatic conditions. These disruptions expose systemic vulnerabilities in centralized energy infrastructure and highlight the need for adaptive, decentralized solutions. Local Energy Communities (LECs), characterized by distributed generation, storage, and participatory governance, are emerging as climate-adaptation systems capable of maintaining energy-service continuity under dynamic environmental conditions. This study examines how LECs contribute to climate adaptation and energy-system resilience, the mechanisms that support this contribution, and how these vary across hazards and regions. A thematic narrative review of approximately 220 peer-reviewed and institutional sources published primarily between 2006 and 2025 was conducted using combined deductive and inductive coding, qualitative weight-of-evidence assessment, and the Anticipate–Absorb–Adapt–Recover (AAAR) framework. Findings indicate that resilience in LECs arises from the interaction between climate exposure, technological flexibility, and institutional capacity. Microgrids and hybrid storage systems enable localized buffering against variability, while digital control systems enhance real-time adaptation. Governance structures and financial mechanisms determine the extent to which these systems can be sustained and scaled under evolving climate risks. Despite these advances, critical gaps remain in the integration of climate projections into LEC design, standardized resilience metrics, and long-term performance evaluation under compound hazards. The review extends existing LEC and energy-resilience literature by integrating localized climate hazards, system vulnerabilities, technological and institutional responses, and recovery processes within the AAAR framework; comparing these mechanisms across regions and interconnected services; and identifying practical priorities for climate-informed design, inclusive governance, lifecycle financing, cross-sector coordination, and resilience monitoring.