Power to the people: local community initiatives and the transition to sustainable energy

Tineke van der Schoor, Bert Scholtens

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Abstract: The transition towards renewable and sustainable energy is being accompanied by a transformation of communities and neighbourhoods. This transition may have huge ramifications throughout society. Many cities, towns and villages are putting together ambitious visions about how to achieve 100% sustainable energy, energy neutrality, zero carbon emission or zero-impact of their communities. We investigate what is happening at the local community level towards realizing these ambitions from a social perspective. We use the case study approach to answer the following question: how do local community energy initiatives contribute to a decentralized sustainable energy system? We find that especially the development of a shared vision, the level of activities and the type of organisation are important factors of the strength of the ‘local network’.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)666-675
JournalRenewable & sustainable energy reviews
Volume43
Issue numberMarch
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015

Keywords

  • local initiatives
  • decentralized energy production
  • energy initiatives
  • citizens
  • energy neutrality
  • sustainability
  • prosumers

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