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In many European countries, renewable energy has evolved through decentralised and small-scale forms of organisation. These different initiatives are often denominated as community energy in both research and practice. By examining community energy initiatives through a social entrepreneurship lens, we develop an integrated approach for the analysi...
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... As a result, communities in both deve oped and developing countries are undergoing a transformation, stimulating their con ventional status as passive consumers and embracing a new role as active "prosumers"individuals who generate energy as well as consume it [77]. The definition and scope o energy communities are centered on the idea of citizens engaging in local production an governance of renewable energy [78]. The public's acceptance of RE projects and the pro motion of the clean energy transition in local communities are greatly aided by citizen driven energy and collective actions that put residents at the forefront [79,80]. ...
... As a result, communities in both developed and developing countries are undergoing a transformation, stimulating their conventional status as passive consumers and embracing a new role as active "prosumers"-individuals who generate energy as well as consume it [77]. The definition and scope of energy communities are centered on the idea of citizens engaging in local production and governance of renewable energy [78]. The public's acceptance of RE projects and the promotion of the clean energy transition in local communities are greatly aided by citizen-driven energy and collective actions that put residents at the forefront [79,80]. ...
In recent times, there has been a significant shift from centralized energy systems to decentralized ones. These systems aim to satisfy local energy needs using renewable resources within the community. This approach leads to decreased complexity and costs, improved efficiency, and enhanced local resilience and supports energy independence, thereby advancing the transition toward zero carbon emissions. Community energy plays a pivotal role globally, particularly in European countries, driven by citizen engagement in generating power from renewable sources. The European Union, known for its focus on social innovation and citizen participation, recognizes the essential role of energy communities in its latest energy strategy. The concept for creating local energy communities or community-based energy projects has gained worldwide attention, demonstrating the economic, environmental, and efficiency benefits for using renewable energy sources. However, there is a noticeable gap in research covering all the updated aspects of renewable energy communities. This article provides an in-depth review of energy communities, especially renewable energy communities, exploring their concepts, scope, benefits, and key activities. It also sheds light on their progress by presenting results and analyses. Some countries have shown significant advancement, others are in the initial stages, and a few have partially adopted REC implementation according to the Renewable Energy Directive II. Additionally, it discusses the main challenges and potential recommendations to enhance the growth of renewable energy communities. This work is a valuable resource, emphasizing the importance of citizen involvement and offering insights into various aspects of community energy for sustainable energy transition. It also provides practical insights and valuable information for policymakers, researchers, industry professionals, and community members who are keen on promoting sustainable, community-driven energy systems.
... Other documents linked organizational resilience to adaptation(Ivanov et al. 2018;Jüttner and Maklan 2011; Lengnick-Hall et al. 2011;Luthans 2002;Pettit et al. 2010; Youssef and Luthans 2007), recovery(Ahi and Searcy 2013;Avey et al. 2009;Jüttner and Maklan 2011; Youssef and Luthans 2007), risk management(Pettit et al. 2010), and crisis management(Sigala 2020). Finally, some documents related corporate purpose with mission(Abela 2001;Becker et al. 2017;Harrison et al. 2020;Moore 2012;Muñoz et al. 2018;Wilson and Post 2013), identity(Diochon and Anderson 2011;Muñoz et al. 2018) and meaning ...
The increasing complexity of economic, environmental, and social systems causes crises, uncertainty and risk to become common global issues, and organizations that want to achieve long-term prosperity must pursue corporate sustainability, i.e., the joint pursuit of environmental, social, and economic goals, in order to successfully face the complex and uncertain environment in which these organizations find themselves. To achieve the above, organizational resilience would also seem to be critical, as it is a capacity which enables the organization to build a risk-aware culture that helps it better position itself to deal with the demands of high-impact events as well as to be able to find opportunities through uncertainty. Yet, both corporate sustainability and organizational resilience are organizational capabilities that can nourish (and/or be nurtured by) a corporate purpose that leads organizations to have a clear and inspiring sense of direction, fostering the development of strong responsible and adaptive behaviors. Nevertheless, the academic traditions that relate and explain “how” these concepts are related are non-existent. To bridge the above gap, we conducted a science mapping analysis and discovered that by 2022, a total of 34 documents had presented the relationship between sustainability, organizational resilience and corporate purpose. The analysis of these 34 papers yields five different academic traditions from which the relationship between these three concepts has been studied and reveals several gaps that future research should address to gain a holistic understanding of the interconnectedness of these three concepts to help organizations achieve long-term prosperity.
... Legal frameworks for collective ownership -Community energy has been widely characterised as a form of social enterprise (Becker et al., 2017;Cieslik, 2016;EU JCR, 2020). ...
Deep civic engagement in energy transitions has been limited and unique to specific material-economic, actor-institutional and discursive contexts. This paper reviews the governance contexts in which deep engagement emerges and develops a generic policy mix enabling civic energy, drawing on a systematic overview of barriers and policies for civic energy by country and region from 1980 to 2023. We show that when policy mixes support widespread diffusion of civic energy, they are likely to be “thick”; meaning that they align a wide range of corporate legal, market access, energy subsidy, localised planning and facilitation, access to finance, and capacity building policies - extending well beyond the domain of energy policy. Literature suggests that “thick” policy mixes emerge in contexts where there are narratives and conscious strategies for participation, political opportunities and resources mobilised towards enabling participation, with high degrees of fiscal and legislative decentralisation and policy coordination. In contrast, contexts characterised by low levels of civic energy are posited as having “thin” policy mixes, with limited opportunity for inclusive visioning or experimentation in multi-stakeholder platforms, limited decentralisation and policy coordination, resulting in marginalisation of civic arenas, conflicting framings and lack of high-level strategies for civic participation. We identify regions characterised by thick and thin policy mixes based on literature and identify future studies necessary to allow better articulation of the value of civic energy as a practical and beneficial approach to meeting emission reduction goals.
... The concept of embeddedness was mainly developed in economic analysis by Polanyi and Granovetter to refer to the embedding of economic behaviour and institutions in society (Granovetter, 1985;Polanyi, 2001;Stanfield, 1980). The concept was then applied to different fields of research (Becker et al., 2017;Murdoch et al., 2000;Ramirez et al., 2020;Schweizer, 1997;Sonnino, 2007;Vestrum, 2014;Wigren-Kristoferson et al., 2022). In these studies, embedding is usually used to analyse the dynamic relationships between specific organisations and the local communities that surround them. ...
This paper conceptualises the ways grassroots innovations (GIs) influence sustainability transitions. While research on GI diffusion tends to use the three-pathway model (replication, scaling up and translation), this paper rethinks GI diffusion through the lenses of an embedding framework. We illustrate this framework by applying it to the empirical case of ecovillages in the Global North and South. The results show that GIs become embedded in wider society through different dynamics: expansion, reframing, circulation of knowledge, shifting material arrangements and replication. The embedding framework brings clarity to diverse dynamics of diffusion and is particularly able to grasp the cultural, cognitive, economic and environmental impacts of GI initiatives.
... nature, vulnerable consumers, tenants, youths, migrants, indigenous populations etc.) [50]. In this regard energy initiatives engaging local actors are regarded as an instrument to implement a more inclusive and just energy transition [11,51,52], and aid public acceptance due to their ability to promote citizens' participation and control over decisionmaking in renewable energy [8,33,53]. Its social innovation potential lies in overcoming energy-related injustices through the ability for an inclusive integration of grassroot actors who otherwise would not have the financial and human capital to act individually [12,23]. ...
As a response to societal polarisation and mobilisation against the clean energy transition and renewable energy projects, policy makers at EU level have put focus on renewable energy communities as an instrument to drive transition, due their ability to promote citizens' participation and control over decision-making in renewable energy at local level. Literature on public acceptance and legitimacy of renewable energy projects highlights issues related to who are recognised and included as stakeholders, (un)fair distribution of the costs and benefits related to projects and the decision-making procedures involved. Renewable energy communities bring potential positive aspects that drive public acceptance, including social ownership, community development and distribution of benefits to grassroot actors. We contribute to the literature on how energy justice is perceived and can be enacted through renewable energy communities. In this article we explore what challenges for energy justice can be identified for renewable energy communities from the perspective of potential and existing shareholders in Latvia, Norway, Portugal and Spain. We also briefly discuss how identified challenges are addressed in the recast Renewable Energy Directive (REDII).
... All'interno di questo percorso, infatti, l'accordo mette in atto, attraverso quadri giuridici adeguati, la diffusione di impianti alimentati da fonti energetiche rinnovabili, valorizzando la filiera delle risorse locali, non solo energetiche, ma anche tutte quelle legate alle filiere produttive, fornendo benefici ambientali, economici e sociali a tutta la comunità insediata in un territorio (AIEE, 2021). In particolare le due direttive in esso contenuto EU 2018/2001, meglio conosciuta come RED II, e 2019/944 o IEM presentano un quadro legislativo (Tab.1) in grado di: regolare la partecipazione dei cittadini, introducendo definizioni specifiche per gli schemi di autoconsumo (anche collettivo) e per le comunità dell'energia; governare la mobilitazione del capitale privato; garantire, attraverso protocolli di accettazione, iniziative sperimentali di produzione energetica da fonti rinnovabili a scala locale (Becker et al., 2017). In Italia, il Piano Nazionale Integrato Energia e Clima (PNIEC) traduce a livello nazionale l'esigenza europea di attuare una transizione energetica, fissando obiettivi in un orizzonte decennale, e, nel 2020, con l'obiettivo di introdurre a livello sperimentale i modelli delineati dalle due direttive europee, è stato attivato un percorso di recepimento parziale, anticipato dalla direttiva RED II, trasformandola in legislazione e ne sono stati definiti i meccanismi di incentivazione e di regolazione tariffaria per le ...
... Da normativa, le CER sono definite come soggetto giuridico basato sulla volontaria adesione, dove i soggetti membri collaborano con l'obiettivo di produrre, consumare e gestire l'energia derivante da un impianto di produzione da fonti rinnovabili. I rapporti di condivisione tra i soggetti coinvolti, pubblici e/o privati, sono regolati per mezzo di un contratto di diritto privato e nello specifico, ogni soggetto, dotato di un proprio impianto Le Comunità Energetiche Rinnovabili in Italia a legislative framework (Tab.1) that can: regulate citizen participation by introducing specific definitions for self-consumption schemes (including collective) and energy communities; govern the mobilisation of private capital; and ensure, through acceptance protocols, experimental renewable energy production initiatives at the local scale (Becker et al., 2017). In Italy, the Piano Nazionale Integrato Energia e Clima (PNIEC) translates at the national level the European need to implement an energy transition, setting targets over a 10-year horizon. ...
Clean Energy for All Europeans, Green Deal and Fit for 55 at European level and the Piano Nazionale Integrato per l’Energia e il Clima have identified essential decarbonisation goals that are achievable by broadening the audience of actors involved and the ability to innovate in terms of the evolution of products/services and production processes. In this sense, decentralised energy production technologies together with Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) and bottom-up initiatives play a strategic role in the establishment of local energy systems. The objective of the paper is to illustrate these dynamisms within the territorial system, and the characteristics of local initiatives and RECs as means of energy transition and economic development.
... Training can be solidified by the promotion of energy consumption practices in domestic environments, places of education, work, and public bodies, and this promises several benefits. The development of entrepreneurship and community projects in the energy sector, as deeply analyzed by Becker et al. (2017) and van der Horst (2008), demonstrate how models and businesses based on non-profit organizations or cooperatives (such as sharing-economies) might also help to enhance training aspects and transform energy into a true aggregating factor of social cohesion. ...
Introduction: Almost 50% of the European Union’s final energy consumption is used for heating and cooling, 80% of which in buildings. The European Commission recently issued the “Efficiency Energy First Principle,” a formal recommendation to EU countries prioritizing energy efficiency measures over other energy-related investments. Decarbonizing the aging housing stock represents a significant challenge to Southern Europe and the remaining Member States. This exploratory research aims to understand why Portuguese people fail to increase their energy efficiency; it then proposes potential interventions. Several studies have looked into the effect of technology-based and behavior-based strategies (individual, socioeconomic and demographic, as well as contextual factors) regarding residential energy consumption. Few, however, have brought all these factors together in one project as in this case.
Methods: We used the integrative COM-B model to investigate three core influences of behavior, namely, capability, opportunity, and motivation in a qualitative analysis of a sample of citizens of one specific Lisbon, Portugal community. The Behavior Change Wheel model was then used to propose interventions that might promote energy-responsible behavior.
Results: Our finding suggests that investments in structural strategies, and, above all, in behavioral strategies are needed to achieve efficient residential electricity consumption. Specifically, we found a lack of capability (i.e., people’s physical skills and strength, knowledge, and regulation skills) represented the greatest barrier to energy consumption efficiency. A lack of motivation (involving habits and self-conscious intentions or beliefs) was the least decisive factor in the adoption of efficient energy consumption behaviors.
Discussion: We therefore recommend the following interventions: 1) training and enablement addressing residents’ physical capability (primarily the replacement of high consumption equipment); 2) training, restriction, environmental restructuring, and enablement would increase residents’ physical opportunity (arising from poor home insulation and citizens’ lack of financial resources to invest in energy solutions); and 3) education, training, and enablement to change psychological capability (regarding insufficient or confusing energy use information).
... These connections also promote the development of CRE by detaching the agrifood chain from traditional hydrocarbon energy, decreasing water intensity in the power sector (UNCEE 2017). Bio Village, a model for CRE in Germany, was built at the nexus of energy, food, and ecosystem services (Becker et al. 2017;Caramizaru and Uihlein 2020). Randle-Boggis et al. (2020) show that community solar parks supply various ecological benefits and ensure renewable energy production and distribution without damaging the local ecosystem, which also contributes to increasing ecosystem health. ...
... Due to the collaborative approach, and active participation in the decision-making process, CRE often creates local acceptance and minimizes regional conflicts (Becker et al. 2017;Mundaca et al. 2018;Stein 2018). These projects tend to allow community citizens to participate directly in energy projects' creation, installation, operation, and financial aspects (Munday et al. 2011;Rogers et al. 2012;Seyfang et al. 2014). ...
Nature-based solutions (NbS), including renewable or decarbonized energy initiatives,
have a great contribution to make to climate change mitigation and adaptation
processes. However, there is much debate about the existing structure of NbS and
how they meet various social and environmental needs, particularly in the case of
decarbonized energy initiatives. Among the concerns raised is dispossession, including
why and how such dispossession may occur in implementing NbS and how this
can be overcome through decentralized community renewable
energy (CRE) initiatives. Through an extensive literature review, this chapter
attempts to understand the role of CRE in avoiding dispossession in NbS based
on principles and practices of energy justice, including procedural and distributional
justice, in rural North America andWestern Europe. This study applied a systematic
literature review based on a four-step process, including data source identification,
screening and application of eligibility, and inclusion/exclusion criteria. This review
found that NbS is a relatively new concept, having some key limitations regarding
procedural and distributional justice. CRE can be an alternative solution as it focuses on environmental, cultural, and justice-related considerations. Related to procedural
justice, the study found that CRE implies a “consult-consider-modify-proceed”
process instead of the common “decide-announce-defend” model. A high level of
participation in CRE profits from a locally grounded, collectively shared, participatory,
and politically supported approach. On the other hand, from the distributional
perspective, CRE is community-owned. This induces collaborative solutions, often
on a regional basis, to facilitate economic and social development and distribution of
the benefits more widely among local communities than conventional, centralized
renewable energy initiatives. Thus CRE is acting as a vehicle for broader community
benefit rather than solely generating profits for external investors.
... The second category consists of the relationships with the inhabitants and organizations on neighborhood-level [63]. One of the leading ideas of the community energy movement is that local communities need to be involved in the ownership, production, and management of renewable energy [61]. ...
Community energy can be conceptualized as a social movement, which aims to develop a sustainable, democratic , and localist energy system. Community energy organizations often take the form of cooperatives and strive for a high level of participation at the neighborhood level. Recently, community energy initiatives took on the challenge to develop neighborhood heating projects, which are citizen-led and sustainable. District heating (DH) projects are characterized by costly investments, a substantial overhaul of local infrastructure, and large installations for heat production. Furthermore, specialized technical knowledge is needed for the design of DH-systems. In the Netherlands, we studied four cases where local energy cooperatives developed such citizen-led neighborhood heating projects. Our primary research question is what constitutes a citizen-led or citizen-supported DH-project? We focus on four themes: first, the internal organization of the CH-project; second its outreach to local citizens; third, the role of technical knowledge and technology choices; fourth, the changing role of municipalities in the local energy transition. We developed a theoretical framework that consists of three main networks: the internal network, constituted by the local energy initiative itself and its surrounding neighborhood; the external network, which is comprised of local and regional governments as well as private companies; and the material network, referring to technological and physical aspects. In the discussion, we situate our findings against a broader European background. We conclude that a democratic structure, transparency of decision making, and a high level of activities to involve the neighborhood are key success factors. Nevertheless, the development of a community DH-project is a time-consuming process that takes a high toll on the participants. We observed that the remunicipalization trend is emerging in the Netherlands. Regarding technology choices, we found that the DH-initiatives became quite knowledgeable on technical issues and stimulated the application of new technologies such as small-scale aquathermal energy. However, in some cases the choice for a low-cost solution led to concessions to the sustainability of the proposed solutions.
... The authors connect the 'new spirit of capitalism' with the libertarian and romantic currents of the late 1960s as epitomised by 'cool' capitalists such as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs-the 'heroes' of the projective commonwealth. Applied to the case of energy communities, justifications that stress the innovativeness, the diversity of organisational and ownership structures, and the embeddedness of energy communities in wider social movements and networks all stem from this projective commonwealth (Becker et al., 2017). (viii) The green commonwealth judges action considering its principles of sustainability and achieving ecological balance. ...
The three-tenet model, which focuses on ‘distributional justice’, ‘procedural justice’, and ‘justice as recognition’, has emerged as the most influential framework in the field of energy justice. Based on critical reviews of the three-tenet model, we identify three challenges that the model currently still faces: (i) a normative challenge on the grounding of the three-tenet model in philosophical theories; (ii) an ‘elite’ challenge on the justification of the use of power in energy-related decision; and (iii) a practical challenge on the application of the three tenets in situations of conflicting justice demands. In this article, we provide the basic contours of a three-step pluralist and pragmatic dialogue model for questions of energy justice that addresses the three challenges, based on the ‘commonwealth model’ of Luc Boltanski and Laurent Thévenot. The model proposes to create moral legitimacy in the face of plural demands for energy justice by engaging actors in an inclusive dialogue based on an explicit recognition of Boltanski and Thévenot’s commonwealth model. We thereby make three contributions to the existing literature on energy justice. First, the commonwealth model’s rootedness in normative political theory provides a stronger philosophical underpinning than was available up till now in the literature (challenge 1). Second, it allows one to go beyond the (almost exclusive) focus on injustices perpetrated on disempowered or marginalised groups, to include questions on the justified exercise of power (challenge 2). Third, the commonwealth model shows us practical ways out of situations where conflicting demands for justice are being made (challenge 3).
