IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v9y2017i4p509-d94254.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Renewable Energy Project as a Source of Innovation in Rural Communities: Lessons from the Periphery

Author

Listed:
  • Sorin Cebotari

    (Babes-Bolyai University, Faculty of Geography, Clinicilor street, 5-7, Cluj-Napoca 400006, Romania)

  • Jozsef Benedek

    (Babes-Bolyai University, Faculty of Geography, Clinicilor street, 5-7, Cluj-Napoca 400006, Romania)

Abstract

Renewable energy projects (REPs) are viewed as a resource for the development of rural, peripheral communities. Going beyond the simplistic understanding of renewable energy technology as an independent variable, the current study looks into what the interaction between renewables and host communities brings in terms of innovation and development. Relying on a combination of primary and secondary data, both qualitative and quantitative, we observed that for the case of northwest Romania the fast development of REPs had no impact on classic economic indicators such as employment or revenue to the local budget. Looking closely at the impact on innovation as an important explanatory factor of peripheralization, in the majority of researched cases we saw no technical nor policy-related innovation associated with REPs. The presence of a privately-owned project in the territory of the community acted as a possible catalyst for considering developing their own REPs however. Owning a renewable energy project at the same time proved to have a positive impact on policy-related innovation. Moreover, communities that developed and manage their own REPs seem also to be more interested in changing the existing technological arrangements as well.

Suggested Citation

  • Sorin Cebotari & Jozsef Benedek, 2017. "Renewable Energy Project as a Source of Innovation in Rural Communities: Lessons from the Periphery," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-16, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2017:i:4:p:509-:d:94254
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/4/509/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/4/509/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bolton, Ronan & Foxon, Timothy J., 2015. "Infrastructure transformation as a socio-technical process — Implications for the governance of energy distribution networks in the UK," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 90(PB), pages 538-550.
    2. Ash Amin, 1999. "An Institutionalist Perspective on Regional Economic Development," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(2), pages 365-378, June.
    3. Dincer, Ibrahim, 2000. "Renewable energy and sustainable development: a crucial review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 4(2), pages 157-175, June.
    4. Ron Boschma & Ron Martin, 2007. "Editorial: Constructing an evolutionary economic geography," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 7(5), pages 537-548, September.
    5. Klevas, Valentinas & Streimikiene, Dalia & Kleviene, Audrone, 2009. "Sustainability assessment of the energy projects implementation in regional scale," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(1), pages 155-166, January.
    6. Gill Seyfang & Alex Haxeltine, 2012. "Growing Grassroots Innovations: Exploring the Role of Community-Based Initiatives in Governing Sustainable Energy Transitions," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 30(3), pages 381-400, June.
    7. del Río, Pablo & Burguillo, Mercedes, 2008. "Assessing the impact of renewable energy deployment on local sustainability: Towards a theoretical framework," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 12(5), pages 1325-1344, June.
    8. Frondel, Manuel & Ritter, Nolan & Schmidt, Christoph M. & Vance, Colin, 2010. "Economic impacts from the promotion of renewable energy technologies: The German experience," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(8), pages 4048-4056, August.
    9. Costis Hadjimichalis & Ray Hudson, 2014. "Contemporary Crisis Across Europe and the Crisis of Regional Development Theories," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(1), pages 208-218, January.
    10. Ron Martin, 2010. "Roepke Lecture in Economic Geography—Rethinking Regional Path Dependence: Beyond Lock-in to Evolution," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 86(1), pages 1-27, January.
    11. Popovici, Vlad, 2011. "2010 power generation sector restructuring in Romania--A critical assessment," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 1845-1856, March.
    12. del Río, Pablo & Burguillo, Mercedes, 2009. "An empirical analysis of the impact of renewable energy deployment on local sustainability," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(6-7), pages 1314-1325, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yulia Alexandrovna Nazarova & Natalya Yuryevna Sopilko & Rimma Shoidorzhievna Bolotova & Natalya Sergeevna Shcherbakova & Vladimir Borisovich Alexeenko, 2017. "Increase of Social Impact Due to the Development of the Renewable Energy Industry in Russia," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 7(5), pages 263-270.
    2. Klaniecki, Kathleen & Duse, Ioana Alexandra & Lutz, Lotte M. & Leventon, Julia & Abson, David J., 2020. "Applying the energy cultures framework to understand energy systems in the context of rural sustainability transformation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    3. Júlia A. Nagy & József Benedek & Kinga Ivan, 2018. "Measuring Sustainable Development Goals at a Local Level: A Case of a Metropolitan Area in Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-15, October.
    4. repec:eco:journ2:2017-04-01 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Wiśniewski, Łukasz & Rudnicki, Roman & Chodkowska-Miszczuk, Justyna, 2021. "What non-natural factors are behind the underuse of EU CAP funds in areas with valuable habitats?," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    6. Lotte M. Lutz & Daniel J. Lang & Henrik Von Wehrden, 2017. "Facilitating Regional Energy Transition Strategies: Toward a Typology of Regions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-17, September.
    7. Agnieszka Biernat-Jarka & Paulina Trębska & Sławomir Jarka, 2021. "The Role of Renewable Energy Sources in Alleviating Energy Poverty in Households in Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-21, May.
    8. Nilubon Luangchosiri & Takaya Ogawa & Hideyuki Okumura & Keiichi N. Ishihara, 2021. "Success Factors for the Implementation of Community Renewable Energy in Thailand," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-12, July.
    9. Benedek, József & Sebestyén, Tihamér-Tibor & Bartók, Blanka, 2018. "Evaluation of renewable energy sources in peripheral areas and renewable energy-based rural development," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 516-535.
    10. Adrian Neacsa & Mirela Panait & Jianu Daniel Muresan & Marian Catalin Voica, 2020. "Energy Poverty in European Union: Assessment Difficulties, Effects on the Quality of Life, Mitigation Measures. Some Evidences from Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-28, May.
    11. József Benedek & Kinga Ivan & Ibolya Török & Arnold Temerdek & Iulian‐Horia Holobâcă, 2021. "Indicator‐based assessment of local and regional progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): An integrated approach from Romania," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(5), pages 860-875, September.
    12. Bingxiu Gui & Yun Liu & Yanbing Ju & Xuanting Ye, 2018. "Disruptive Innovation Patterns Driven by Mega-Projects: A Sustainable Development Pattern Case of China’s High-Speed Rail," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-17, April.
    13. Lakshmi, Geeta & Tilley, Simon, 2019. "The “power” of community renewable energy enterprises: The case of Sustainable Hockerton Ltd," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 787-795.

    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. Andreea ZAMFIR & Ilinca HOTARAN, 2011. "Public-Private Partnership for Regional Development of Renewable Energy," Risk in Contemporary Economy, "Dunarea de Jos" University of Galati, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, pages 209-213.
    2. Andy Pike & Andrew Cumbers & Stuart Dawley & Danny MacKinnon & Robert McMaster, 2015. "Doing evolution in economic geography," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 1532, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Sep 2015.
    3. Andreea-Ileana ZAMFIR, 2011. "Public Administration And Regional Development Of Renewable Energy," Proceedings of Administration and Public Management International Conference, Research Centre in Public Administration and Public Services, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 7(1), pages 365-376, June.
    4. Zamfir, Andreea & Colesca, Sofia Elena & Corbos, Razvan-Andrei, 2016. "Public policies to support the development of renewable energy in Romania: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 87-106.
    5. repec:rom:campco:v:7:y:2011:i:1:p:365-376 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Ion PLUMB & Andreea ZAMFIR, 2011. "Regional Development Through Investmentsin Renewable Energy Projects," Proceedings of the International Conference Investments and Economic Recovery, Faculty of Management, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 10(1), pages 7-12, December.
    7. Andreea Ileana Zamfir, 2011. "Management Of Renewable Energy And Regional Development: European Experiences And Steps Forward," Theoretical and Empirical Researches in Urban Management, Research Centre in Public Administration and Public Services, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 6(3), pages 35-42, August.
    8. Emil Evenhuis, 2017. "Institutional change in cities and regions: a path dependency approach," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 10(3), pages 509-526.
    9. Martin, Ron & Sunley, Peter, 2012. "Forms of emergence and the evolution of economic landscapes," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 82(2), pages 338-351.
    10. Copena, Damián & Simón, Xavier, 2018. "Wind farms and payments to landowners: Opportunities for rural development for the case of Galicia," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 38-47.
    11. Manel Kamoun & Ines Abdelkafi & Abdelfetah Ghorbel, 2019. "The Impact of Renewable Energy on Sustainable Growth: Evidence from a Panel of OECD Countries," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 10(1), pages 221-237, March.
    12. Nicholas Mercer & Amy Hudson & Debbie Martin & Paul Parker, 2020. "“That’s Our Traditional Way as Indigenous Peoples”: Towards a Conceptual Framework for Understanding Community Support of Sustainable Energies in NunatuKavut, Labrador," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-32, July.
    13. Chen, Yufeng & Zheng, Biao & Qu, Fang, 2020. "Modeling the nexus of crude oil, new energy and rare earth in China: An asymmetric VAR-BEKK (DCC)-GARCH approach," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    14. Benedek, József & Sebestyén, Tihamér-Tibor & Bartók, Blanka, 2018. "Evaluation of renewable energy sources in peripheral areas and renewable energy-based rural development," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 516-535.
    15. Fanelli Rosa Maria, 2018. "Rural Small and Medium Enterprises Development in Molise (Italy)," European Countryside, Sciendo, vol. 10(4), pages 566-589, December.
    16. Martin, Nigel J. & Rice, John L., 2012. "Developing renewable energy supply in Queensland, Australia: A study of the barriers, targets, policies and actions," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 119-127.
    17. Djanibekov, Utkur & Gaur, Varun, 2018. "Nexus of energy use, agricultural production, employment and incomes among rural households in Uttar Pradesh, India," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 439-453.
    18. Damien Bazin & Emna Omri & Nouri Chtourou, 2015. "Solar Thermal Energy for Sustainable Development in Tunisia," Post-Print halshs-01070616, HAL.
    19. Năstase, Gabriel & Şerban, Alexandru & Năstase, Alina Florentina & Dragomir, George & Brezeanu, Alin Ionuţ & Iordan, Nicolae Fani, 2017. "Hydropower development in Romania. A review from its beginnings to the present," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 297-312.
    20. Muhammad Aslam Mohd Safari & Nurulkamal Masseran & Alias Jedi & Sohif Mat & Kamaruzzaman Sopian & Azman Bin Abdul Rahim & Azami Zaharim, 2020. "Rural Public Acceptance of Wind and Solar Energy: A Case Study from Mersing, Malaysia," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-24, July.

    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:9:y:2017:i:4:p:509-:d:94254. 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.