Community Energy and a Just Energy Transition

2020 ◽  
pp. 67-82
Author(s):  
Annalisa Savaresi
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Restorative Justice ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Energy Governance ◽  
Energy Justice ◽  
Justice Theories ◽  
The Uk

In recent years, measures to stimulate local and rural communities’ involvement in the generation of renewable energy have been rather optimistically promoted as a means to engender greater legitimacy in and democratization of energy governance, tackle fuel poverty, and deliver energy justice. This chapter assesses what we really know about community energy and its suitability to deliver an equitable energy transition. It scrutinizes evidence from selected EU Member States that have pioneered the mainstreaming of community energy through the lens of justice theories, with the objective to gauge whether and how these policies address core justice questions associated with the energy transition, and the role of law in providing an answer to these. This chapter aims to probe the sometimes uncritical assumptions about community energy, highlighting the complex, layered, conflicting justice claims that underlie its mainstreaming. In order to do this, the chapter distils a set of distributive, procedural, and restorative justice questions associated with community energy, and considers the way in which they have been addressed, drawing on examples from Denmark, Germany, and the UK.

scholarly journals The Rise of Community Energy from Grassroots to Mainstream: The Role of Law and Policy

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 487-510
Author(s):  
Annalisa Savaresi
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Energy Generation ◽  
Community Action ◽  
Member States ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Law And Policy ◽  
Renewable Energy Generation

Abstract In recent years, national and subnational law-makers and policy-makers have increasingly adopted measures to stimulate decentralised renewable energy generation, turning local and rural communities into prominent actors in the energy transition. The recast of the EU Renewable Energy Directive follows this trend, prompting all EU Member States to adopt measures to spearhead community energy. Yet to date, only a handful of ‘pioneer’ EU Member States—most saliently Denmark, Germany and the UK—have accrued significant experience with the mainstreaming of community energy. This article reflects on the role of law and policy in turning grassroots community action into a mainstream means for renewable energy generation. It unpacks the regulatory questions underlying the notion of community energy embedded in the Renewables Directive, looking at how these have been addressed in pioneer Member States. This analysis aims to deliver greater understanding of community energy, to highlight gaps in our knowledge of it, and ultimately to identify an agenda for further scholarly enquiry.

scholarly journals Facilitating the Energy Transition—The Governance Role of Local Renewable Energy Cooperatives

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 4171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donné Wagemans ◽  
Christian Scholl ◽  
Véronique Vasseur
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Cooperative Movement ◽  
Energy Governance ◽  
Governance Roles ◽  
The Government ◽  
Context Specific

The governance role of local renewable energy cooperatives (LRECs) in facilitating the energy transition remains under-scrutinized in the scholarly literature. Such a gap is puzzling, since LRECs are a manifestation of the current decentralization movement and yield a promising governance contribution to a ‘just energy transition.’ This paper presents a study of the governance roles of LRECs in the province of Limburg, the Netherlands. Building on existing work on the cooperative movement and energy governance, we, first, develop a conceptual framework for our analysis. The framework is built around three key interactions shaping these governance roles, between (1) LRECs and their (potential) members, (2) LRECs and the government and (3) LRECs with other LRECs. The results of an online survey and qualitative interviews with selected cooperatives led to the identification of five key governance roles that these cooperatives take up in the facilitation of the energy transition: (1) mobilizing the public, (2) brokering between government and citizens, (3) providing context specific knowledge and expertise, (4) initiating accepted change and (5) proffering the integration of sustainability. The paper concludes by reflecting on the relevance of our findings in this Dutch case for the broader ‘just transition’ movement.

scholarly journals Energy Communities for Just Energy Transitions on a Local Scale: Initial Lessons from the Lightness Project

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Stephan Slingerland ◽  
Jordan Young ◽  
Ruth Mourik ◽  
Lena Lutz
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Environmental Justice ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
End Users ◽  
Local Scale ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
New Energy ◽  
Justice Theories

New energy communities that produce, store, trade and distribute renewable energy guided by innovative digital platforms are currently emerging in many EU member states. Expectations about these communities and their contribution to a ‘just engagement’ of citizens in energy transition are high. However, detailed monitoring of the degree to which these expectations have been realised thus far is often lacking. An innovative way to measure the just engagement of end-users as one of these expectations is based on criteria from environmental justice theories that have developed in recent years. This paper describes the initiation of seven pilot communities in five countries around a specific digital platform, and their assessment with a tailored environmental, justice-based framework. Based on the assessment—part of the ongoing Horizon 2020 project, ‘Lightness’—several challenges to just engagement are identified that are relevant for the project and beyond.

scholarly journals Regional Electricity Models for Community Energy in Germany: The Role of Governance Structures

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2241
Author(s):  
Moritz Ehrtmann ◽  
Lars Holstenkamp ◽  
Timon Becker
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Governance Structures ◽  
Business Networks ◽  
Sustainable Innovation ◽  
Value Propositions ◽  
Energy Companies ◽  
Desk Research

Community energy actors play an important role in the energy transition, fostering the diffusion of sustainable innovation in the renewable energy market. Because market conditions for business models in the renewable energy sector are changing and feed-in-tariff (FiT) schemes expiring, community energy companies are in the process of innovating their business models. In recent years, several community energy companies in Germany have entered the electricity retail market selling locally generated electricity from their renewable energy installations to customers in their region. We explore the evolving regional electricity business models for community energy companies in Germany, related governance structures, and the role they play for a sustainable energy transition. In order to implement these complex business models, community energy companies cooperate with professional marketing partners (intermediaries), which are capable of taking over the tasks and obligations of electricity suppliers. Through a series of expert interviews and desk research, we identify three distinctive regional electricity business models and examine opportunities and challenges to their implementation. Results show that there are different forms of cooperation, leading to specific governance structures and creating a set of new value propositions. Through these forms of cooperation, business networks emerge, which can function as incubators for sustainable innovation and learning for the post-FiT era.

scholarly journals Policy-relevant insights for regional renewable energy deployment

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla De Laurentis ◽  
Peter J. G. Pearson
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Policy Design ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Geographical Differences ◽  
Governance Capacity ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Case Study Analysis ◽  
Documentary Analysis ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Background The paper explores how regional actors engage with energy systems, flows and infrastructures in order to meet particular goals and offers a fine-tuned analysis of how differences arise, highlighting the policy-relevant insights that emerge. Methods Using a novel framework, the research performs a comparative case study analysis of three regions in Italy and two of the devolved territories of the UK, Wales and Scotland, drawing on interviews and documentary analysis. Results The paper shows that acknowledging the socio-materialities of renewable energy allows a fine-tuned analysis of how institutions, governance and infrastructure can enable/constrain energy transitions and policy effectiveness at local and regional levels. The heuristic adopted highlights (i) the institutions that matter for renewable energy and their varied effects on regional renewable energy deployment; (ii) the range of agencies involved in strategically establishing, contesting and reproducing institutions, expectations, visions and infrastructure as renewable energy deployment unfolds at the regional level and (iii) the nature and extent of infrastructure requirements for and constraints on renewable energy delivery and how they affect the regional capacity to shape infrastructure networks and facilitate renewable energy deployment. The paper shows how the regions investigated developed their institutional and governance capacity and made use of targets, energy visions and spatial planning to promote renewable energy deployment. It shows that several mediating factors emerge from examining the interactions between regional physical resource endowments and energy infrastructure renewal and expansion. The analysis leads to policy-relevant insights into what makes for renewable energy deployment. Conclusion The paper contributes to research that demonstrates the role of institutional variations and governance as foundations for geographical differences in the adoption of renewable energy, and carries significant implications for policy thinking and implementation. It shows why and how policy-makers need to be more effective in balancing the range of goals/interests for renewable energy deployment with the peculiarities and specificities of the regional contexts and their infrastructures. The insights presented help to explain how energy choices and outcomes are shaped in particular places, how differences arise and operate in practice, and how they need to be taken into account in policy design, policy-making and implementation.

Energy justice gaps in renewable energy transition policy initiatives in Vermont

Energy Policy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 159 ◽  
pp. 112608
Author(s):  
Walter Keady ◽  
Bindu Panikkar ◽  
Ingrid L. Nelson ◽  
Asim Zia
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Policy Initiatives ◽  
Energy Justice ◽  
Transition Policy

scholarly journals The Impact of Financial Development On The Clean Energy Transition In MENA Region: The Role of Institutional And Political Factors.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haifa Saadaoui
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Financial Development ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Transition Process ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Political Factors ◽  
Long Run ◽  
The Impact

Abstract This study focuses on the role of institutional factors as well as financial development in renewable energy transition in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region over the period 1990-2018 using the ARDL PMG method. The investigation of long-run and short-run analysis confirms that institutional and political factors play a key role in promoting the transition to renewable energy, and shows that improving these factors can lead to decarbonization of the energy sector in the long run. Another important finding is that global financial development does not have a significant effect on the transition process in the long run, implying that the whole financial system needs a fundamental structural change to accelerate the substitution between polluting and clean energies. However, in the short term, the impact appears to be negative and significant, highlighting the inadequacy of financial institutions and financial markets in promoting the region’s sustainable path. Moreover, income drives the transition to renewable energy in both short and long term. The causality results show that both financial development and institutional quality lead to renewable energy transition, while there is a bidirectional link between income and renewable energy.This study can provide a very useful recommendation to promote a clean transition in the MENA region.

scholarly journals Does Combined Heat and Power Play the Role of a Bridge in Energy Transition? Evidence from a Cross-Country Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1035 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyo-Jin Kim ◽  
Jeong-Joon Yu ◽  
Seung-Hoon Yoo
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Parameter Estimate ◽  
Combined Heat And Power ◽  
Cross Country ◽  
The Impact

In an era of energy transition involving an increase in renewable energy and a reduction in coal-fired power generation and nuclear power generation, the role of combined heat and power (CHP) as a bridging energy is highly emphasized. This article attempts to look empirically into the impact of increasing the share of renewable energy in total electricity generation on CHP share in total electricity generation in a cross-country context. Data from 35 countries during the period 2009–2015 were used, and the least absolute deviations estimator was applied to obtain a more robust parameter estimate. The results showed that a 1%p increase in the share of renewable energy significantly increased the CHP share by 0.87%p. Therefore, the hypothesis that CHP serves as bridge energy in the process of energy transition was established.

scholarly journals The Role of Photovoltaics (PV) in the Present and Future Situation of Suriname

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amrita Raghoebarsing ◽  
Angèle Reinders
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Power Systems ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Fuel Oil ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Hydroelectric Power ◽  
Heavy Fuel Oil ◽  
Pv Systems ◽  
Future Situation

The aim of this paper is to give an overview of the energy sector and the current status of photovoltaic (PV) systems in Suriname and to investigate which role PV systems can play in this country’s future energy transition. At this moment, 64% of the power is available from diesel/heavy fuel oil (HFO) gensets while 36% is available from renewables namely hydroelectric power systems and PV systems. Suriname has renewable energy (RE) targets for 2017 and 2022 which already have been achieved by this 36%. However, the RE target of 2027 of 47% must be achieved yet. As there is abundant irradiance available, on an average 1792 kWh/m2/year and because several PV systems have already been successfully implemented, PV can play an important role in the energy transition of Suriname. In order to achieve the 2027 target with only PV systems, an additional 110 MWp of installed PV capacity will be required. Governmental and non-governmental institutes have planned PV projects. If these will be executed in the future than annually 0.8 TWh electricity will be produced by PV systems. In order to meet the electricity demand of 2027 fully, 2.2 TWh PV electricity will be required which implies that more PV systems must be implemented in Suriname besides the already scheduled ones.

China's energy transition strategy at the city level: The role of renewable energy

2018 ◽  
Vol 205 ◽  
pp. 980-986 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-Chen Yuan ◽  
Yan-Jun Lyu ◽  
Bing Wang ◽  
Qiao-Hong Liu ◽  
Qing Wu
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Transition Strategy ◽  
The City
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