Renewable energy in EU Rural Areas: production, potential and community engagement

The green energy transition and its boost to the deployment of renewable energy can offer a unique opportunity for rural areas to benefit from their natural resources. The present brief summarise the findings of the previous science for policy report and provide a quantitative assessment of the technical potential of renewable energy sources in the EU’s rural areas, focusing on solar, wind and hydropower. It aims to provide relevant insights into how rural areas and communities can contribute to and benefit from the EU’s green energy transition, without undermining natural and key biodiversity areas, high-value natural farms and food production. The report shows that solar photovoltaic systems in rural areas generate 136TWh a year but have the potential to generate 60 times more (8600TWh/year). Rural areas produce 280TWh a year through onshore wind but have the potential to produce four times more (1200TWh/year). Hydropower production in rural areas yields 280TWh a year, but it could potentially be 25% higher (350TWh/year). The document also addresses the concept of energy communities, as an emerging framework intended to foster a just green transition and community engagement.