Abstract
The regional level is essential for the use of renewable energies since on this level national political goals are harmonized with implementation activities. Hence, regional strategies can, we argue, be useful. Yet, these strategies must be tailored to meet a variety of contextual conditions. Within this study, we identified natural and socio-economic conditions that need to be considered when developing regional strategies for Energiewende. Focusing on these conditions, we conducted a multivariate statistical analysis of all 412 German districts (Landkreise). We identified nine energy context types characterized by different renewable energy potentials and socio-economic conditions. We propose to develop one generic regional energy transition strategy for each of the energy context types. These can serve as a governance tool that operationalizes and allocates national Energiewende goals according to regional contextual conditions. Moreover, the energy context types may support regional decision makers by allowing them to prioritize steps in the transition process, to establish networks with, and to learn from, similar regions.
Highlights
The growing use of renewable energy (RE) is an innovative practice that arose from the need to radically change the energy system in order to minimize GHG emissions
The following section presents the results of the Principal components analysis (PCA) as well as the larger spatial patterns of select contextual conditions for the use of RE in the regions
We describe the characteristics of each energy context type as suggested by subsequent analyses
Summary
The growing use of renewable energy (RE) is an innovative practice that arose from the need to radically change the energy system in order to minimize GHG emissions. It aims to meet the social need to supply society with energy in a sustainable way, and in the future [1,2,3,4]. In Germany, the incumbent energy companies have generally reacted to this trend rather late [5]. Regions are one relevant level for RE implementation and use in Germany, as the political system is strongly based on federalism. The energy system developed in decentralized nodes and is still often structured locally and regionally [8,9]
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