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Decentralising energy: comparing the drivers and influencers of projects led by public, private, community and third sector actors

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  • Bouke Wiersma
  • Patrick Devine-Wright

Abstract

The potential contribution of decentralised energy (DE) to the low carbon transition has received increasing policy and scholarly attention. However, a predominant emphasis upon community-led initiatives has overlooked the potential of alternative configurations, in particular projects led by public, private and professional third sector actors. To address this gap, a comparative case study analysis was undertaken based upon in-depth interviews with key actors in nine UK DE projects, scrutinising cross-sectoral patterns in underlying project drivers and factors influencing project evolution. Findings indicate that drivers are highly diverse, vary by sector and are predominantly local, with addressing poverty predominant. Key influencers identified were funding, levels of trust and stakeholder representations of energy users. The results indicate that policy and academic emphases on community-led DE overlook other successful and diverse configurations that can contribute to the low carbon transition.

Suggested Citation

  • Bouke Wiersma & Patrick Devine-Wright, 2014. "Decentralising energy: comparing the drivers and influencers of projects led by public, private, community and third sector actors," Contemporary Social Science, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(4), pages 456-470, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:rsocxx:v:9:y:2014:i:4:p:456-470
    DOI: 10.1080/21582041.2014.981757
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Huang, Zishuo & Yu, Hang & Peng, Zhenwei & Feng, Yifu, 2017. "Planning community energy system in the industry 4.0 era: Achievements, challenges and a potential solution," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 710-721.
    2. Klein, Sharon J.W. & Coffey, Stephanie, 2016. "Building a sustainable energy future, one community at a time," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 867-880.
    3. Pons-Seres de Brauwer, C. & Cohen, J.J., 2020. "Analysing the potential of citizen-financed community renewable energy to drive Europe's low-carbon energy transition," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    4. 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.
    5. Lehtonen, Markku & de Carlo, Laurence, 2019. "Community energy and the virtues of mistrust and distrust: Lessons from Brighton and Hove energy cooperatives," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 1-1.
    6. Watson, Nicole Elizabeth & Huebner, Gesche & Fell, Michael James & Shipworth, David, 2020. "Two energy suppliers are better than one: survey experiments on consumer engagement with local energy in GB," SocArXiv e9nyu, Center for Open Science.
    7. Rydin, Yvonne & Turcu, Catalina, 2019. "Revisiting urban energy initiatives in the UK: Declining local capacity in a shifting policy context," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 653-660.
    8. Watson, Nicole E. & Huebner, Gesche M. & Fell, Michael J. & Shipworth, David, 2020. "Two energy suppliers are better than one: Survey experiments on consumer engagement with local energy in GB," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    9. Forman, Alister, 2017. "Energy justice at the end of the wire: Enacting community energy and equity in Wales," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 649-657.
    10. Adam X. Hearn & Raul Castaño-Rosa, 2021. "Towards a Just Energy Transition, Barriers and Opportunities for Positive Energy District Creation in Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-18, August.
    11. Lorenzo De Vidovich & Luca Tricarico & Matteo Zulianello, 2023. "How Can We Frame Energy Communities’ Organisational Models? Insights from the Research ‘Community Energy Map’ in the Italian Context," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-25, January.
    12. Kazmi, Hussain & Munné-Collado, Íngrid & Mehmood, Fahad & Syed, Tahir Abbas & Driesen, Johan, 2021. "Towards data-driven energy communities: A review of open-source datasets, models and tools," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    13. Brinker, Laura & Satchwell, Andrew J., 2020. "A comparative review of municipal energy business models in Germany, California, and Great Britain: Institutional context and forms of energy decentralization," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    14. Huang, Zishuo & Yu, Hang & Chu, Xiangyang & Peng, Zhenwei, 2018. "A novel optimization model based on game tree for multi-energy conversion systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 109-121.
    15. de Boer, Jessica & Zuidema, Christian & van Hoorn, Anton & de Roo, Gert, 2018. "The adaptation of Dutch energy policy to emerging area-based energy practices," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 142-150.
    16. Athena Piterou & Anne‐Marie Coles, 2021. "A review of business models for decentralised renewable energy projects," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3), pages 1468-1480, March.

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