IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i10p3922-d1390238.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Smartening Local Energy in Europe: A Comparative Analysis of Three Cases and Their Implications for Supporting Transformative Governance Practices

Author

Listed:
  • Jake Barnes

    (Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK)

  • Sarah Darby

    (Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK)

  • Paula Hansen

    (Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK)

Abstract

Achieving global sustainability goals, while maintaining or increasing access to energy services, calls for agile and many-faceted responses. The pursuit of ‘smart local energy systems’ is one such response that involves a paradigm shift, taking the concept of an energy system away from large-scale power plants and fuel stores towards more flexible configurations to harness renewable energy flows, with highly distributed physical assets, actors, skills and controls. Smart local energy requires citizens, industry, utilities and government bodies to collaborate and learn together in order to develop effective modes of governing that meet sustainability goals and provide reliable, accessible energy services. In this article, we introduce practical implications of creating more localised energy systems with the aid of digital technologies. We then analyse three emerging European energy communities in terms of their actors, activities and alliances, to build an understanding of governance practices within and beyond the communities that are capable of fostering transformative change towards sustainability. From this, we argue that maintaining progress towards smart local energy systems requires transformative governance within and beyond initiatives. It requires local governance arrangements that are agile and responsive to new actors and activities as well as to broader external circumstances.

Suggested Citation

  • Jake Barnes & Sarah Darby & Paula Hansen, 2024. "Smartening Local Energy in Europe: A Comparative Analysis of Three Cases and Their Implications for Supporting Transformative Governance Practices," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-15, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:10:p:3922-:d:1390238
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/10/3922/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/10/3922/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jochen Markard, 2018. "The next phase of the energy transition and its implications for research and policy," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 3(8), pages 628-633, August.
    2. Hans-Werner Franz & Josef Hochgerner & Jürgen Howaldt, 2012. "Challenge Social Innovation: An Introduction," Springer Books, in: Hans-Werner Franz & Josef Hochgerner & Jürgen Howaldt (ed.), Challenge Social Innovation, edition 127, pages 1-16, Springer.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lawal Yesufu & Sami Alajlani, 2019. "Measuring Social Innovation for Education and Resource Development in Refugee Camps: A Conceptual Study," International Journal of Higher Education, Sciedu Press, vol. 8(4), pages 208-208, August.
    2. Dehler-Holland, Joris & Schumacher, Kira & Fichtner, Wolf, 2021. "Topic Modeling Uncovers Shifts in Media Framing of the German Renewable Energy Act," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 2(1).
    3. Radtke, Jörg & Scherhaufer, Patrick, 2022. "A social science perspective on conflicts in the energy transition: An introduction to the special issue," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    4. Li, Aitong & Xu, Yuan & Shiroyama, Hideaki, 2019. "Solar lobby and energy transition in Japan," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    5. Fridgen, Gilbert & Keller, Robert & Körner, Marc-Fabian & Schöpf, Michael, 2020. "A holistic view on sector coupling," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    6. Melliger, Marc, 2023. "Quantifying technology skewness in European multi-technology auctions and the effect of design elements and other driving factors," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    7. Su, Xiang & Tan, Junlan, 2023. "Regional energy transition path and the role of government support and resource endowment in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    8. Xu, Jiacheng & Liang, Yingzong & Luo, Xianglong & Chen, Jianyong & Yang, Zhi & Chen, Ying, 2023. "Towards cost-effective osmotic power harnessing: Mass exchanger network synthesis for multi-stream pressure-retarded osmosis systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 330(PA).
    9. Tomas Macak & Jan Hron & Jaromir Stusek, 2020. "A Causal Model of the Sustainable Use of Resources: A Case Study on a Woodworking Process," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-22, October.
    10. Andersen, Allan Dahl & Markard, Jochen, 2020. "Multi-technology interaction in socio-technical transitions: How recent dynamics in HVDC technology can inform transition theories," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    11. Karolina Bähr & Alexander Fliaster, 2023. "The twofold transition: Framing digital innovations and incumbents' value propositions for sustainability," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(2), pages 920-935, February.
    12. Thomas Pownall & Iain Soutar & Catherine Mitchell, 2021. "Re-Designing GB’s Electricity Market Design: A Conceptual Framework Which Recognises the Value of Distributed Energy Resources," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-26, February.
    13. Grimley, Matthew & Chan, Gabriel, 2023. "“Cooperative is an oxymoron!”: A polycentric energy transition perspective on distributed energy deployment in the Upper Midwestern United States," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    14. Xexakis, Georgios & Hansmann, Ralph & Volken, Sandra P. & Trutnevyte, Evelina, 2020. "Models on the wrong track: Model-based electricity supply scenarios in Switzerland are not aligned with the perspectives of energy experts and the public," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    15. Janusz Reichel & Agata Rudnicka & Błażej Socha, 2023. "Energy Poverty—Do Energy Companies Care? Study Results from European Energy Companies," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-15, September.
    16. Zhou, Long & Alharthi, Majed & Aziz, Babar & Kok, Shiau Hui & Wasim, Sarah & Dong, Xiaohong, 2024. "Illuminating the contributions of fintech, mineral resources, and foreign direct investment in alleviating environmental issues: An empirical analysis," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    17. Yunesky Masip Macía & Pablo Rodríguez Machuca & Angel Alexander Rodríguez Soto & Roberto Carmona Campos, 2021. "Green Hydrogen Value Chain in the Sustainability for Port Operations: Case Study in the Region of Valparaiso, Chile," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-17, December.
    18. Jan-Philipp Sasse & Evelina Trutnevyte, 2023. "A low-carbon electricity sector in Europe risks sustaining regional inequalities in benefits and vulnerabilities," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-15, December.
    19. Grimm, Veronika & Kretschmer, Sandra & Mehl, Simon, 2020. "Green innovations: The organizational setup of pilot projects and its influence on consumer perceptions," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    20. Overland, Indra & Juraev, Javlon & Vakulchuk, Roman, 2022. "Are renewable energy sources more evenly distributed than fossil fuels?," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 379-386.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:10:p:3922-:d:1390238. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.