Towards a Just Energy Transition, Barriers and Opportunities for Positive Energy District Creation in Spain

Abstract

To mitigate the effects of climate change, the European Commission created a Strategic Energy Technology Plan committing to forming 100 Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) by 2025. These are considered to potentially be major instruments for decarbonization in a just transition. This plan has led to some districts being defined as PEDs, although none have fully met the criteria to be a PED yet. Research shows that new forms of energy ownership and production, as could potentially be found in PEDs, could help reduce energy poverty, which affects a significant segment of the population, as households can reduce their energy expenditure as well as improve their energy behavior. This paper set out to shed light on the PED landscape, investigating the barriers and opportunities to PED creation in Spain and its potential to mitigate energy poverty. We conducted a literature review on community-owned energy in Spain, followed with expert interviews (energy researchers, stakeholders, and NGOs) who focus on sustainability issues in Spain. Results show a number of barriers (lack of knowledge and awareness, and lack of trust from consumers) and opportunities connected with the creation of PEDs. In conclusion, policymaker engagement and support play a key role in successfully implementing PEDs.

Where the power lies: Developing a political ecology framework for just energy transition

“…Much research on just transition has focused on, and been channeled into, technological research and development in the Global North (e.g. Carley & Konisky, 2020;Delina, 2022;Hearn & Castaño-Rosa, 2021;Overland & Sovacool, 2020). For instance, negative impacts from "green industrialization" occurring in the Global North, has been documented very well by Brock et al (2021), using a spatial justice and political ecology lens, in the collapse of the east German solar industries.…”

A database for positive energy districts (PED)

“…The capacity building process is essential for stakeholders to develop each element of the PED in close collaboration with partners, which underscores the need for a shared strategic vision among all actors involved in the process. While previous studies have focused on identifying specific aspects of PEDs such as energy or social [2;3], while other authors have also identified PED challenges and barriers [4] there is clearly a gap of finding good examples of PED developments [5]. A tool is missing that helps to map, filter, sort, and compare PED experiences while providing a balanced overview of the technological and non-technological solutions adopted in different PED projects.…”

Reviewing and Exploring the Qualitative Impacts That Different Market and Regulatory Measures Can Have on Encouraging Energy Communities Based on Their Organizational Structure

“…Several of the technical challenges related to the increase in shares of renewables in the system might be solved if ECs are properly developed [12,17]. As an example, ECs can contribute to the increased share of renewable generation, self-sufficiency, and flexibility of energy assets which could lead to a variety of benefits, including environmental (lower emissions), social (more equitable distribution of benefits), and economic (lower consumer costs, lower system costs, and delayed grid expansion) [18][19][20][21].…”