Solar for Tenants: Exploring Collective Self-Consumption in Multi-Family Housing

Collective self-consumption (CSC) in multi-family buildings presents a promising strategy to expand access to photovoltaic (PV) electricity in urban settings and is actively supported by recent EU directives. However, national implementations remain highly diverse highlighting the need for a systematic understanding of CSC system designs. Through a structured literature review, 41 peer-reviewed studies were analyzed to identify and classify six recurring CSC archetypes based on four key design dimensions: participation scale, consumption model, production model, and point of installation. Four primary archetypes are discussed in detail, highlighting their implications for PV-sharing system design and stakeholder inclusion. This synthesis provides a framework for comparing CSC models across different policy environments, highlighting trade-offs between centralized coordination and individual autonomy, and informing policy design for inclusive renewable energy adoption.