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.

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.

Is hydrogen Asia's new energy commodity? Opportunities and challenges for Australia

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 468
Author(s):  
David Low ◽  
Angus Rodger ◽  
Benjamin Gallagher ◽  
Prakash Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Supplier Relationships ◽  
Demand Growth ◽  
The Future ◽  
New Energy ◽  
Hydrogen Supply

Can hydrogen really be the next big energy disruptor? The technological challenges are significant and have suppressed its presence in the energy transition story thus far, but this is changing fast. The hydrogen market faces a chicken-and-egg conundrum. Demand growth remains limited, hindered by uncertainty over supply and cost. But investment in hydrogen supply is restricted by ambiguity over its role in the future energy mix. Nonetheless, government policy and funding in Japan, China and Korea is creating new demand centres. Will the breakthrough be in power generation, transportation or energy storage? The costs associated with hydrogen production and transportation are its biggest hurdles. But new technologies around liquid organic hydrogen carriers and ammonia are emerging. How is this hydrogen+ philosophy evolving, and could it be a future competitive advantage? Over the past decade, we have already seen how new technology has rapidly reduced other renewable energy costs. We outline our view on whether the same could happen with hydrogen. So, where does Australia fit into this picture, and what is its competitive advantage? Australia is well endowed with natural resources, many of which can reliably generate renewable energy. And with numerous ongoing hydrogen pilot programs, it is uniquely positioned to innovate and export green hydrogen know-how. Can Australia become the global laboratory for hydrogen supply-chain technology? Local upstream companies could be catalysts for change, given their existing producer–supplier relationships across north-eastern Asia. What role could hydrogen play in the future upstream portfolio?

scholarly journals Legal Provisions and Market Conditions for Energy Communities in Austria, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Turkey: A Comparative Assessment

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 11212
Author(s):  
Mehmet Efe Biresselioglu ◽  
Siyami Alp Limoncuoglu ◽  
Muhittin Hakan Demir ◽  
Johannes Reichl ◽  
Katrin Burgstaller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Social Acceptance ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Energy System ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Legal Provisions ◽  
The Eu

The Climate Pact and the European Green Deal constitute the main components of the European Union (EU)’s climate change policy. Energy transition, that is, transformation to a zero-carbon global energy system, is one of the main pillars of climate change mitigation policies. This transformation, coupled with the empowerment of individuals within the energy system, shifts citizens from their roles as customers towards a more active role. Within this framework, energy communities stand out as significant facilitators for the participation of individuals and communities in the energy system, promoting self-consumption and contributing to the social acceptance of renewable energy initiatives, among other direct and indirect benefits. The main directives introducing energy communities into the EU legal system are RED II and ED 2019. This study, conducted as a part of a Horizon 2020-funded eCREW project, assessed the adaptability and implementability of these two directives within national legislation, along with the associated legal and administrative frameworks, utilizing evidence from Austria, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Turkey. The comparative analysis also enhances the understanding of the concept of renewable energy communities and citizen energy communities, both in the EU and in nonmember countries. The results of the analysis revealed that none of the countries studied had yet completed the process of harmonizing their legislation concerning energy communities.

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 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 Renewable Energy Federalism in Germany and the United States

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-28
Author(s):  
Johannes Saurer ◽  
Jonas Monast
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Federal Government ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
The United States ◽  
Federal Republic Of Germany ◽  
The Us ◽  
Legal Structures ◽  
Cooperative Federalism ◽  
Energy Expansion

Abstract The Federal Republic of Germany and the United States (US) have adopted different models for energy federalism. Germany allocates more authority to the federal government and the US relies on a decentralized cooperative federalism model that preserves key roles for state actors. This article explores and compares the relevance of federal legal structures for renewable energy expansion in both countries. It sets out the constitutional, statutory, and factual foundations in both Germany and the US, and explores the legal and empirical dimensions of renewable energy expansion at the federal and state levels. The article concludes by drawing several comparative lessons about the significance of federal structures for energy transition processes.

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