Barriers to the diffusion of renewable energy: studies of biogas for transport in two European cities

Abstract

The diffusion of renewable energy – particularly in transport – in cities may facilitate the transition away from fossil fuels, improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Past studies on this topic have focused on system modelling of diffusion pathways, technology characteristics and also estimations of future availability of renewable energy, whilst neglecting the agency of producers and users. This article assesses barriers to the diffusion of biogas for transportation in cities from a system and actor perspective. Using document studies and interviews in the cities of Basel, Switzerland, and Odense, Denmark, we identify the presence of conflicting political priorities and shifting strategic objectives, resulting in mixed signals concerning the role and viability of biogas for transportation. This underlines the importance of public sector support and coherent design and implementation of strategy and policy enabling the diffusion of renewable energy.

Keywords:

• renewable energy
• diffusion
• cities
• biogas
• transport

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to express their profound gratitude to the project funders – Göteborg Energi, Riksbyggens Jubileumsfond Den Goda Staden, Vinnova (Verifiering för Samverkan) for the Sustainable Mobility project; and to the Swedish Energy Agency for their financial support through the INTERBIO project (Internationalization of Swedish biogas knowledge for sustainable cities). We also wish to thank the interviewees who kindly gave their time to this project, and the reviewers whose constructive comments have helped improve the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The project was supported by Göteborg Energi, Riksbyggens Jubileumsfond Den Goda Staden, Vinnova (Verifiering för Samverkan) for the Sustainable Mobility project; and the Swedish Energy Agency through the INTERBIO project (Internationalization of Swedish biogas knowledge for sustainable cities).