Sustainable development goal interactions for a just transition: multi-scalar solar energy rollout in Portugal

ABSTRACT

Solar energy rollout has environmental and socio-economic impacts vital for just low-carbon energy transitions. The modular characteristics of solar photovoltaics enable multi-scalar deployment. How do environmental and socio-economic impacts vary across scales? This understudied relationship impacts the socio-spatiality of solar rollout, who benefits, and how this is enabled. Our study in Portugal during 2017–2020 examines how solar energy went from subsidies to record-setting competitiveness. Most new solar capacity was large scale, with barriers for community energy that weakened in 2020. We draw on interviews with 80 experts and a small-scale questionnaire survey with solar energy cooperative members. Findings show large-scale solar rollout primarily yielded environmental benefits, whereas small scale yielded socio-economic benefits. We argue that near-future joined-up solar energy policies can facilitate synergistic interactions across three United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by integrating environmental and socio-economic impacts. This main contribution can inform Portuguese and wider energy policies for sectoral development toward sustainability.

KEYWORDS:

• Multi-scalar solar PV
• energy transitions
• SDG interactions
• community energy
• Portugal
• SDG7

Acknowledgments

Siddharth Sareen wishes to acknowledge the ‘Accountable Solar Energy TransitionS’ (ASSET) Researcher Project for Young Talents funded by the Research Council of Norway grant 314022, and the Peder Sather Grant Program Award ‘De/Re-Regulation of Power Markets and Evolving Solar PV Governance’.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Notes

¹ For official details, see https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/.

² Details available online: https://descarbonizar2050.apambiente.pt/en/

³ For details about Coopérnico, see https://www.coopernico.org

⁴ See industry coverage in this regard: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/08/27/portuguese-government-confirms-world-record-solar-price-of-0-01316-kwh/(accessed 25.01.2021).

⁵ For scheme details, see https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All%20Programs/Programs/NY%20Sun/Solar%20for%20Your%20Home/Community%20Solar/Solar%20for%20All (accessed 25.01.2021).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Research Council of Norway [314022]; Trond Mohn Foundation [BFS2016REK04].