In Ireland, Sustainable Energy Communities (SECs) have a distinct structure and role within the larger movement towards a more just and sustainable energy transition. Beyond their technical impact in advancing energy efficiency measures and contributing to household-level emissions reductions from energy, their social impacts have received less attention. Despite misalignment in current policy structures that hinder the scale and potential of community-led energy action in Ireland, recent community-engaged research on SECs highlights the meaningful social impacts they are having in their localities. This short paper is based on longer policy report that contained the findings of our multi-step community-engaged research project that included a systematic review of 231 scholarly sources, over 80 survey responses, 35 interviews and 4 workshops involving 20 participants in Ireland. This paper explores the social innovations of SECs and reveals untapped potential of SECs. The paper concludes with recommendations to address the acute policy challenges and harness the full capacity of community energy in Ireland to advance a more just and equitable energy transition.