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Energy Transition and the role
of communities
Antonia Proka
Dutch Research Institute for Transitions
Supported by
Short bio- Background in Business
Administration
- Masters in Environment and Resource Management: Energy
- Traineeship at Greenpeace International
- Researcher on TRAPESES project:
• Transition Patterns Enabling Smart Energy Systems
DRIFT
Focus on understanding and accelerating sustainability transitions
Research, consultancy, education
Energy Transition. What should it mean?
Big and diverse plans for our future
Transition
• Long term (20-50 years)
• High level of Complexity and Uncertainty
• Systems innovation
Multi-level perspective on transitions (Geels and Schot, 2007)
What drivesthe energy transition?
Technological developments
- Renewable energy Technology
- ICT technology
What drivesthe energy transition?
Civil society
- Climate initiatives –Environmental awareness
- Bottom-up initiatives: Power struggles –localism – DIY
- People vs. big energy companies – Autarchy
- For fun!
Renewables in the hands of the people?
What drivesthe energy transition?
• Need for energy independence (Geopolitics)
• Heavily volatile energy prices
What drives the energy transition?
• Innovative entrepreneurial activities
What drivesthe energy transition?
• Random events like Fukushima, Earthquake in Groningen
• Random events like Fukushima, Earthquakes in Groningen
Multi-level perspective on transitions (Geels and Schot, 2007)
What hinders its progress?
Institutional barriers
• Policy uncertainty
- Tax framework
- Volatile policies
What hinders its progress?
Economic - Market failures
• Vested interests & sunk capital: lock-in
- Fossil fuel companies
- Energy Intensive industry
• Volatile energy prices: unfavorable investments climate
What hinders its progress?
Cognitive barriers
• Path dependence:- Reliability of current system
supply• Uncertainty about the role of new
actors in the field and the risks involved
• Assumptions about the higher costs of bottom-up options
• Lack of awareness & social acceptance
• Risk averse local authorities & middle management
Multi-level perspective on transitions (Geels and Schot, 2007)
The Energiewende perspective
Increasing number ofenergy cooperatives in Europe
Source: Lokale Energie Monitor, 2015
Source: Lokale Energie Monitor, 2015
• What drives community energy initiatives?
Variety of motivations
• concerns about future generations• community wellbeing and health• community development• social cohesion• social inclusion• community empowerment
• improving local environment• reducing carbon emissions
• possible local sources
Variety of motivations
• saving money on energy bills
• generating income for local community
• tackling fuel poverty
• skills development
• local job creation
Variety of motivations
• dissatisfaction with inconsistent energy policies and incompetent governments
• need for independence from big utility companies and/or unstable political regimes
• aspiration to influence
energy policy
• What are the benefits of community energy initiatives?
Benefits of community energy initiatives
• What are the barriers that community energy initiatives face?
Internal Barriers• Need time/volunteers
• Need funding/access to finance
• Need expertise/tech advice
• Need to engage with community
External Barriers• Unstable governmental policy/regulation
• Planning restrictions/hurdles
• Cost and access to the grid
• Other bureaucracy
• Lack of support from other actors
• Lack of access to finance
• Lack of legitimacy as proper market player
• Public apathy/NIMBY
• How can the national policy support the local renewable energy initiatives?
Main support instrumentsin the EU-27
Feed-in Tariff Feed-in premium Quota obligations
• Which type of energy source received more subsidies between 1970 and 2014 in Germany?
A. Renewable
B. Coal
C. Nuclear
Transformative potential of community energy initiatives
tangible achievement of sustainability improvement
the space to develop new ideas and practices
experimenting with new systems of provision and consumption
but they constitute more than just the sum of their parts
Transformative potential of community energy initiatives
the platform for nurturing and sharing of technical skills
the space to evaluate models of social innovation and self-organisation
new political opportunities for active citizen engagement and for challenging the dominant discourses in energy
Antonia Proka
DRIFT / Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
www.drift.eur.nl
Any questions?
