IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v9y2017i9p1560-d110529.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Facilitating Regional Energy Transition Strategies: Toward a Typology of Regions

Author

Listed:
  • Lotte M. Lutz

    (Institute for Ethics and Transdisciplinary Sustainability Research, Faculty of Sustainability, Leuphana University Lueneburg, 21335 Lueneburg, Germany)

  • Daniel J. Lang

    (Institute for Ethics and Transdisciplinary Sustainability Research, Faculty of Sustainability, Leuphana University Lueneburg, 21335 Lueneburg, Germany
    Center for Global Sustainability and Cultural Transformation—CGSC, 21335 Lueneburg, Germany)

  • Henrik Von Wehrden

    (Center for Global Sustainability and Cultural Transformation—CGSC, 21335 Lueneburg, Germany
    Institute of Ecology, Faculty of Sustainability, Leuphana University Lueneburg, 21335 Lueneburg, Germany)

Abstract

The regional level is essential for the use of renewable energies since on this level national political goals are harmonized with implementation activities. Hence, regional strategies can, we argue, be useful. Yet, these strategies must be tailored to meet a variety of contextual conditions. Within this study, we identified natural and socio-economic conditions that need to be considered when developing regional strategies for Energiewende . Focusing on these conditions, we conducted a multivariate statistical analysis of all 412 German districts ( Landkreise ). We identified nine energy context types characterized by different renewable energy potentials and socio-economic conditions. We propose to develop one generic regional energy transition strategy for each of the energy context types . These can serve as a governance tool that operationalizes and allocates national Energiewende goals according to regional contextual conditions. Moreover, the energy context types may support regional decision makers by allowing them to prioritize steps in the transition process, to establish networks with, and to learn from, similar regions.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2017:i:9:p:1560-:d:110529
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/9/1560/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/9/1560/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jürgen Hauber & Chantal Ruppert-Winkel, 2012. "Moving towards Energy Self-Sufficiency Based on Renewables: Comparative Case Studies on the Emergence of Regional Processes of Socio-Technical Change in Germany," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 4(4), pages 1-40, March.
    2. Kienast, Felix & Huber, Nica & Hergert, Rico & Bolliger, Janine & Moran, Lorena Segura & Hersperger, Anna M., 2017. "Conflicts between decentralized renewable electricity production and landscape services – A spatially-explicit quantitative assessment for Switzerland," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 397-407.
    3. 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.
    4. Hahn, Henning & Krautkremer, Bernd & Hartmann, Kilian & Wachendorf, Michael, 2014. "Review of concepts for a demand-driven biogas supply for flexible power generation," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 383-393.
    5. Hitzeroth, Marion & Megerle, Andreas, 2013. "Renewable Energy Projects: Acceptance Risks and Their Management," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 576-584.
    6. Walker, Gordon & Devine-Wright, Patrick, 2008. "Community renewable energy: What should it mean," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 497-500, February.
    7. Trutnevyte, Evelina & Stauffacher, Michael & Scholz, Roland W., 2012. "Linking stakeholder visions with resource allocation scenarios and multi-criteria assessment," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 219(3), pages 762-772.
    8. Bjørn Asheim & Ron Boschma & Philip Cooke, 2011. "Constructing Regional Advantage: Platform Policies Based on Related Variety and Differentiated Knowledge Bases," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(7), pages 893-904.
    9. Späth, Philipp & Rohracher, Harald, 2010. "'Energy regions': The transformative power of regional discourses on socio-technical futures," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(4), pages 449-458, May.
    10. Verbong, Geert & Geels, Frank, 2007. "The ongoing energy transition: Lessons from a socio-technical, multi-level analysis of the Dutch electricity system (1960-2004)," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 1025-1037, February.
    11. Lutz, Lotte Marie & Fischer, Lisa-Britt & Newig, Jens & Lang, Daniel Johannes, 2017. "Driving factors for the regional implementation of renewable energy ‐ A multiple case study on the German energy transition," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 136-147.
    12. Paul B. Thompson, 2012. "The Agricultural Ethics of Biofuels: The Food vs. Fuel Debate," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 2(4), pages 1-20, November.
    13. Walker, Gordon, 2008. "What are the barriers and incentives for community-owned means of energy production and use?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(12), pages 4401-4405, December.
    14. Markard, Jochen & Truffer, Bernhard, 2008. "Technological innovation systems and the multi-level perspective: Towards an integrated framework," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 596-615, May.
    15. Hecher, Maria & Vilsmaier, Ulli & Akhavan, Roya & Binder, Claudia R., 2016. "An integrative analysis of energy transitions in energy regions: A case study of ökoEnergieland in Austria," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 40-53.
    16. Yildiz, Özgür, 2014. "Financing renewable energy infrastructures via financial citizen participation – The case of Germany," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 677-685.
    17. 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.
    18. Trutnevyte, Evelina & Stauffacher, Michael & Scholz, Roland W., 2011. "Supporting energy initiatives in small communities by linking visions with energy scenarios and multi-criteria assessment," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(12), pages 7884-7895.
    19. Kostevšek, Anja & Cizelj, Leon & Petek, Janez & Pivec, Aleksandra, 2013. "A novel concept for a renewable network within municipal energy systems," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 79-87.
    20. Kevin Morgan, 2004. "Sustainable regions: Governance, innovation and scale," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(6), pages 871-889, September.
    21. Bridge, Gavin & Bouzarovski, Stefan & Bradshaw, Michael & Eyre, Nick, 2013. "Geographies of energy transition: Space, place and the low-carbon economy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 331-340.
    22. Todtling, Franz & Trippl, Michaela, 2005. "One size fits all?: Towards a differentiated regional innovation policy approach," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(8), pages 1203-1219, October.
    23. Musall, Fabian David & Kuik, Onno, 2011. "Local acceptance of renewable energy--A case study from southeast Germany," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 3252-3260, June.
    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. Alex W. J. Cheng & Harry F. Lee, 2022. "Energy Transition towards Sustainable Development: Perspective of Individuals’ Engagement Amid Transition Process," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-16, August.
    2. Mohr, Lukas & Burg, Vanessa & Thees, Oliver & Trutnevyte, Evelina, 2019. "Spatial hot spots and clusters of bioenergy combined with socio-economic analysis in Switzerland," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 840-851.
    3. Rohe, Sebastian & Chlebna, Camilla, 2021. "A spatial perspective on the legitimacy of a technological innovation system: Regional differences in onshore wind energy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    4. Sebastian Rohe & Jannika Mattes, 2021. "What about the regional level? Regional configurations of Technological Innovation Systems," PEGIS geo-disc-2021_01, Institute for Economic Geography and GIScience, Department of Socioeconomics, Vienna University of Economics and Business.

    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. Thomas Hoppe & Antonia Graf & Beau Warbroek & Imke Lammers & Isabella Lepping, 2015. "Local Governments Supporting Local Energy Initiatives: Lessons from the Best Practices of Saerbeck (Germany) and Lochem (The Netherlands)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-32, February.
    2. Lutz, Lotte Marie & Fischer, Lisa-Britt & Newig, Jens & Lang, Daniel Johannes, 2017. "Driving factors for the regional implementation of renewable energy ‐ A multiple case study on the German energy transition," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 136-147.
    3. Bauwens, Thomas, 2019. "Analyzing the determinants of the size of investments by community renewable energy members: Findings and policy implications from Flanders," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 841-852.
    4. Salm, Sarah & Hille, Stefanie Lena & Wüstenhagen, Rolf, 2016. "What are retail investors' risk-return preferences towards renewable energy projects? A choice experiment in Germany," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 310-320.
    5. Yildiz, Özgür & Rommel, Jens & Debor, Sarah & Holstenkamp, Lars & Mey, Franziska & Müller, Jakob R. & Radtke, Jörg & Rognli, Judith, 2014. "Research Perspectives on Renewable Energy Cooperatives in Germany: Empirical Insights and Theoretical Lenses," MPRA Paper 55931, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Grashof, Katherina, 2019. "Are auctions likely to deter community wind projects? And would this be problematic?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 20-32.
    7. Hecher, Maria & Vilsmaier, Ulli & Akhavan, Roya & Binder, Claudia R., 2016. "An integrative analysis of energy transitions in energy regions: A case study of ökoEnergieland in Austria," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 40-53.
    8. Brummer, Vasco, 2018. "Community energy – benefits and barriers: A comparative literature review of Community Energy in the UK, Germany and the USA, the benefits it provides for society and the barriers it faces," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 187-196.
    9. van der Schoor, Tineke & Scholtens, Bert, 2015. "Power to the people: Local community initiatives and the transition to sustainable energy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 666-675.
    10. Claudia R. Binder & Susan Mühlemeier & Romano Wyss, 2017. "An Indicator-Based Approach for Analyzing the Resilience of Transitions for Energy Regions. Part I: Theoretical and Conceptual Considerations," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-18, January.
    11. Mattes, Jannika & Huber, Andreas & Koehrsen, Jens, 2015. "Energy transitions in small-scale regions – What we can learn from a regional innovation systems perspective," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 255-264.
    12. Bradshaw, Amanda & de Martino Jannuzzi, Gilberto, 2019. "Governing energy transitions and regional economic development: Evidence from three Brazilian states," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 1-11.
    13. Wirth, Steffen, 2014. "Communities matter: Institutional preconditions for community renewable energy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 236-246.
    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. Chiara Candelise & Gianluca Ruggieri, 2017. "Community Energy in Italy: Heterogeneous institutional characteristics and citizens engagement," IEFE Working Papers 93, IEFE, Center for Research on Energy and Environmental Economics and Policy, Universita' Bocconi, Milano, Italy.
    16. Berka, Anna L. & Creamer, Emily, 2018. "Taking stock of the local impacts of community owned renewable energy: A review and research agenda," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 82(P3), pages 3400-3419.
    17. Pesch, Udo, 2015. "Tracing discursive space: Agency and change in sustainability transitions," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 90(PB), pages 379-388.
    18. Dalia Streimikiene & Tomas Baležentis & Artiom Volkov & Mangirdas Morkūnas & Agnė Žičkienė & Justas Streimikis, 2021. "Barriers and Drivers of Renewable Energy Penetration in Rural Areas," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-28, October.
    19. Elvira Uyarra, 2010. "What is evolutionary about ‘regional systems of innovation’? Implications for regional policy," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 115-137, January.
    20. Gordon, Joel A. & Balta-Ozkan, Nazmiye & Nabavi, Seyed Ali, 2022. "Beyond the triangle of renewable energy acceptance: The five dimensions of domestic hydrogen acceptance," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 324(C).

    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:9:p:1560-:d:110529. 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.