A thousand flowers blooming? An examination of community energy in the UK

Seyfang, Gill; Park, Jung Jin; Smith, Adrian

doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2013.06.030

Cited by 521 publications

(372 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…In this perspective, community renewable energy (CRE) initiatives seem promising. The concept of 'community energy' describes formal or informal citizen-led initiatives which propose collaborative solutions on a local basis to facilitate the development of sustainable energy technologies and practices (Bauwens et al, 2016;Seyfang et al, 2013;Walker and Devine-Wright, 2008). Gaining a better insight on the motivations of RE investors at the community level can help decision makers design more effective supporting policies to address these communities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Explaining the diversity of motivations behind community renewable energy

2016

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Community-based renewable energy initiatives may be important actors in the transition toward low-carbon energy systems. In turn, stimulating investments in renewable energy production at the community level requires a better understanding of investors' motives. This paper aims to study the heterogeneity of motivations that drive individuals to participate in community renewable energy projects and the underlying explanatory factors behind this, as well as the implications for their level of engagement in initiatives. Based on quantitative data from an original survey conducted with two renewable energy cooperatives in Flanders, the statistical analysis shows that cooperative members should not be considered as one homogeneous group. Several categories of members with different motives and levels of engagement can be distinguished. This heterogeneity is explained by contrasts in terms of institutional settings, spatial patterns and attitudes to the diffusion of institutional innovations. Regarding policy implications, the findings suggest that this heterogeneity should be taken into account in designing more effective supporting policies to stimulate investments at the community level.The activation of social norms is also shown to be a promising mechanism for triggering investment decisions, although the implications of its interplay with economic incentives should be further explored.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Explaining the diversity of motivations behind community renewable energy

2016

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“…Indeed, UK policy envisions that communities could become involved in four main energy activities: generating energy, reducing energy demand, managing energy supply and demand, and purchasing or switching suppliers as collective groups (DECC, 2014). This shift to a more pluralistic conception of the ways communities can be engaged in energy activities echoes calls for recognition that community energy is not (nor should be) tantamount to renewable energy production (Seyfang et al, 2013). There is also a burgeoning recognition that energy demand interventions would be more successful if targeted at communities and neighbourhoods rather than just individuals (Seyfang et al, 2013;Butler et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This shift to a more pluralistic conception of the ways communities can be engaged in energy activities echoes calls for recognition that community energy is not (nor should be) tantamount to renewable energy production (Seyfang et al, 2013). There is also a burgeoning recognition that energy demand interventions would be more successful if targeted at communities and neighbourhoods rather than just individuals (Seyfang et al, 2013;Butler et al, 2013). In this regard, processes of 'norming' and the opportunities to build on existing relationships of trust have been pointed to as key aspects of what community-level interventions can offer (Butler et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘We are a community [but] that takes a certain amount of energy’: Exploring shared visions, social action, and resilience in place-based community-led energy initiatives

Parkhill

Shirani

Butler

et al. 2015

Environmental Science & Policy

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'We are a community [but] that takes a certain amount of energy': Exploring shared visions, social action, and resilience in place-based community-led energy initiatives. Environmental Science and Policy 2 'We are a community [but] that takes a certain amount of energy': Exploring shared visions, social action, and resilience in place-based community-led energy initiatives.In UK energy policy, community-led energy initiatives are increasingly being imbued with transformative power to facilitate low carbon transitions. The ways that such expectations for communities are manifesting in practice remains, however, relatively poorly understood. In particular, key conceptual developments in unpacking what constitutes 'community' that highlight the significance of 'place' along with important characteristics, such as shared visions, collective social action, and resilience, have yet to be comprehensively explored in the context of community-led energy initiatives. This paper uses an interpretive stance to engage with these conceptual ideas about community and provide insights into the nature of community and its meaning for developing energy-related initiatives and realising the wider goals of energy policy. The paper draws on data from in-depth qualitative, longitudinal interviews undertaken in two residential communities and one purely workplace-based community, which are engaged in community energy initiatives. We argue that there are difficulties and ambiguities in creating shared visions, achieving social action, and developing resilience that are related to the specificities of community in place, but that all three characteristics are likely to be important for the making of sustainable places.

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“…Other examples can be found in community renewable energy schemes (e.g. Seyfang et al 2013) or the development of local currencies, time banks or peer-to-peer exchange networks. Gibson-Graham (2011) point to the Evergreen Cooperatives in Cleveland, Ohio, that combine the employment of neighbourhood residents and care for environment as their priorities and they outline other local initiatives that can be understood as resisting and attempting to reform, circumnavigate or transform marketorientated systems.…”

Section: Care-full Practicesmentioning

confidence: 99%