Sustainable development goal interactions for a just transition: multi-scalar solar energy rollout in Portugal

Abstract

Solar energy rollout has environmental and socio-economic impacts vital for just low-carbon energy transitions. The modular characteristics of solar photovoltaics enable multi-scalar deployment. How do environmental and socio-economic impacts vary across scales? This understudied relationship impacts the socio-spatiality of solar rollout, who benefits, and how this is enabled. Our study in Portugal during 2017-2020 examines how solar energy went from subsidies to record-setting competitiveness. Most new solar capacity was large scale, with barriers for community energy that weakened in 2020. We draw on interviews with 80 experts and a small-scale questionnaire survey with solar energy cooperative members. Findings show largescale solar rollout primarily yielded environmental benefits, whereas small scale yielded socio-economic benefits. We argue that near-future joined-up solar energy policies can facilitate synergistic interactions across three United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by integrating environmental and socio-economic impacts. This main contribution can inform Portuguese and wider energy policies for sectoral development toward sustainability.

Adoption of renewable energy innovations in the Portuguese rural tourist accommodation sector

“…Combined with a system of planning decisions taken at the national level, such energy policy measures have mostly privileged large-scale renewable energy generation projects and favoured large utility companies, rather than small-scale projects and collective or individual prosumers (cf. Delicado et al, 2014, for wind energy;Sareen and Nordholm, 2021;Silva and Sareen, 2021, for solar energy). The outcome is hindering the adoption of renewable energy innovations by smaller actors, such as those involved in rural tourism businesses, of which TER is an example.…”

The Importance of Energy Prosumers for Affordable and Clean Energy Development: A Review of the Literature from the Viewpoints of Management and Policy

“…However, on the other hand, taking solar prosumers as an example, especially those who rent their homes or do not have access to their rooftop solar panels, require net metering and reasonable compensation for their contribution [12,90]. In such cases, without progressive policy frameworks, smallscale solar has limited effects, and the socio-economic benefits for poor households are also limited [108]. The costs of a low-carbon economy and waste recycling afterward also need to be considered [48,96,98].…”