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07 FEATURE: COMMUNITY
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Citizens' involvement in the energy transition
The concept of community renewable energy (community power,
energy democracy i , prosumer and energy citizenship ii ) revolves
around the idea of community ownership, participation and
shared interest in renewable energy initiatives, although there
is no widely agreed definition. 1 In community energy initiatives,
citizens, social entrepreneurs and/or community organisations
participate directly in the energy transition by investing in,
producing, selling and distributing renewable energy or delivering
energy services.
Community energy may describe a geographic community
or a community of interest, and may be in the form of shared
renewable energy projects or small locally controlled gridconnected
systems. 2
Common characteristics include:
n Citizens running projects through communities, such as
co-operatives or development trusts;
n A co-operative, democratic or non-corporate structure in
which individuals participate actively in decision making;
n Tangible local benefits to people living or working close to
projects; and
n Profits returning to the community or being re-invested in
other community energy schemes. 3
Community energy initiatives have existed since the middle of
the 19th century. Such projects enable communities to share
their resources and can be used to power small-scale industrial
activities. It was not until the late 1970s, however, that community
energy initiatives began to become more associated with modern
renewables, beginning in Denmark with the Danish Wind Turbine
Owners’ Association in 1978.
Now many communities are turning to local renewable energy
production. Most projects are focused on electricity generation,
although examples also exist for heating and transport. Project
feasibility and the choice of technology depend on the regulatory
framework; the potential to export the power, heat or fuel produced
(determined by regulations and the available infrastructure);
and possible remuneration. 4 A wide range of services may
be delivered, including the provision of infrastructure, energy
distribution and grid management, renewable energy generation
and energy provision to end-users.
The extent of public participation in community renewable
energy projects varies. Generally, the form that the initiative takes
is determined by local needs and resources and the policy and
regulatory environment.
Consolidated data on community initiatives are very limited,
particularly in the developing world, as information is decentralised
and often is not collected at the local level. Nonetheless,
community energy networks to share data and strategies are
slowly being established at the national and regional levels in
some countries.
07
i Energy democracy goes beyond national security of the energy supply to bringing energy resources and infrastructure under public or community
ownership or control, from Gegenstrom 2012, www.gegenstromberlin.net, cited in https://www.rosalux.de/fileadmin/rls_uploads/pdfs/sonst_
publikationen/Energy-democracy-in-Europe.pdf.
ii Energy citizenship refers to the idea that citizens and communities can contribute more broadly to energy transitions when a wider consciousness of energy
issues has been initiated. This encompasses the prosumer and community energy, but also citizens beginning to own or operate distribution grids, as well
as supply and energy service companies, from ClientEarth, “Model Legal Frameworks for citizen-owned renewable energy,” http://www.clientearth.org/
reports/community-power-report-250614.pdf.
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