Community Renewable Energy Projects: The Future of the Sustainable Energy Transition?

ABSTRACT

The Energy Union and the European Green Deal advocate the participation of citizens and communities in the energy transition, which encourages a bottom-up approach in the implementation of sustainable energy initiatives. Both are in tune with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which attempt to involve all members of society in the sustainability path. The reality in EU member states, however, is that community energy still lacks the necessary regulatory framework to compete with large utility companies. This may indicate that the governance framework is lagging behind, still not ready to include communities (collective citizens) as full participants in the energy transition.

KEYWORDS:

• citizens’ ownership
• community renewable energy
• co-operatives
• energy citizenship
• sustainable energy transition

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank the editors of the journal and the co-editors of the Special Issue for their constructive comments on earlier drafts of this article. Anonymous peer reviewers helped to strengthen the text. The author acknowledges the UACES Research Network ‘The Role of Europe in Global Challenges: Climate Change and Sustainable Development’ for the organisation of a dedicated online workshop. The Jean Monnet Network ‘Governing the EU’s climate and energy transition in turbulent times’ (GOVTRAN: www.govtran.eu), which is funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union, deserves credit for additional support.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rosa Fernandez

Rosa Fernandez is Deputy Head of Department and Programme Leader of Economics at the Department of Social and Political Science of the University of Chester, Chester, United Kingdom.