Energy transition and community participation in Portugal, Greece and Israel: Regional differences from a multi-level perspective

Abstract

This paper addresses regional differences in community participation in renewable energy installations in Portugal, Greece and Israel. Authors follow the Multi-level Perspective and Multi-actor Perspective as frameworks for specifying power relations between different actors with different levels of aggregation. The paper applies these models for a comparative analysis of two large-scale renewable wind projects and a micro-grid solar photovoltaic project at different stages of execution in local communities on Paros Island, in the Golan Heights and in the Alentejo region. The study cases form part of the Project Planning and Engagement Arenas for Renewable Energy LandscapeS (PEARLS) research study, which examines the relationships between renewable energy landscapes and the population in four countries in the south of Europe and Israel. PEARLS investigates whether, and how, the transition to a low carbon economy is taking place in a great variety of renewable energy landscapes as focus areas regarding the population's energy behaviour and population engagement. This analysis of regional differences in three study areas executing renewable energy projects will contribute to the literature. Analysing the research questions on community participation in the energy transition in relation to the targeted actors and their levels of aggregation enables two main conclusions to be drawn; the importance of considering regional differences when implementing renewable energy landscapes, especially when these are generated by large renewable projects with a non-place focus, and secondly, related to the relevance of regional uniqueness: the feeling of place attachment is highlighted as a key factor in social acceptance by local communities.