Community Renewable Energy Projects: The Future of the Sustainable Energy Transition?

The Energy Union and the European Green Deal advocate the participation of citizens and communities in the energy transition, which encourages a bottom-up approach in the implementation of sustainable energy initiatives. Both are in tune with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which attempt to involve all members of society in the sustainability path. The reality in EU member states, however, is that community energy still lacks the necessary regulatory framework to compete with large utility companies. This may indicate that the governance framework is lagging behind, still not ready to include communities (collective citizens) as full participants in the energy transition.
Keywords: citizens’ ownership; community renewable energy; co-operatives; energy citizenship; sustainable energy transition