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Local impact of community renewable energy: A case study of an Orcadian community-led wind scheme

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  • van der Waal, Esther C.

Abstract

Local benefits of community renewable energy (CRE) –ranging from an increase in social cohesion, jobs, services, knowledge and skills - are widely assumed in academia and among policy makers. However, there are both a lack of evidence on these impacts and a lack of formal impact assessment methodologies to assess them. This research explores change mapping, an impact assessment methodology, to contribute to evaluative frameworks for assessment of the effects of CRE projects on their host communities. With this methodology, the local impacts of a 900 kW community wind project on the Scottish island Shapinsay are assessed, using an exploratory survey, interviews, and two focus group sessions. When it comes to the local impacts, the biggest changes residents experience are either direct or indirect effects of the RE revenues. Modest but ostensible effects are visible on local economic development, social cohesion, and knowledge and skill development. From the case study can be concluded that community-ownership of energy technologies can indeed be empowering, but also creates vulnerability. Stable energy policies and support during the operational phase are needed to keep up the stream of RE income that functions as a source of independent income.

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  • van der Waal, Esther C., 2020. "Local impact of community renewable energy: A case study of an Orcadian community-led wind scheme," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:138:y:2020:i:c:s0301421519307785
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2019.111193
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    3. Stewart, Fraser, 2021. "All for sun, sun for all: Can community energy help to overcome socioeconomic inequalities in low-carbon technology subsidies?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    4. Maqbool, Amtul Samie & van der Waal, Esther & van der Windt, Henny, 2023. "‘Luctor et emergo’, how a community energy initiative survived the changing policy and technology landscape of the Dutch energy system?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    5. Marula Tsagkari & Jordi Roca & Phedeas Stephanides, 2022. "Sustainability of local renewable energy projects: A comprehensive framework and an empirical analysis on two islands," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(5), pages 1155-1168, October.
    6. Ruth Shortall & Anna Mengolini & Flavia Gangale, 2022. "Citizen Engagement in EU Collective Action Energy Projects," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-24, May.
    7. Stewart, Fraser, 2022. "Friends with benefits: How income and peer diffusion combine to create an inequality “trap” in the uptake of low-carbon technologies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).

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