Abstract
The governance role of local renewable energy cooperatives (LRECs) in facilitating the energy transition remains under-scrutinized in the scholarly literature. Such a gap is puzzling, since LRECs are a manifestation of the current decentralization movement and yield a promising governance contribution to a ‘just energy transition.’ This paper presents a study of the governance roles of LRECs in the province of Limburg, the Netherlands. Building on existing work on the cooperative movement and energy governance, we, first, develop a conceptual framework for our analysis. The framework is built around three key interactions shaping these governance roles, between (1) LRECs and their (potential) members, (2) LRECs and the government and (3) LRECs with other LRECs. The results of an online survey and qualitative interviews with selected cooperatives led to the identification of five key governance roles that these cooperatives take up in the facilitation of the energy transition: (1) mobilizing the public, (2) brokering between government and citizens, (3) providing context specific knowledge and expertise, (4) initiating accepted change and (5) proffering the integration of sustainability. The paper concludes by reflecting on the relevance of our findings in this Dutch case for the broader ‘just transition’ movement.
Highlights
Community action and involvement in the transition towards a society based on sustainable renewable energy has increased significantly during the last decade, leading to changes in how energy systems are integrated into societies around the world [1]
In order to identify the key dimensions that are relevant for analysing governance by local renewable energy cooperatives, we reviewed the literature of the two fields of energy governance and cooperative movements
This paper set out to inquire in which ways local renewable energy cooperatives (LRECs) contribute to the renewable energy transition
Summary
Community action and involvement in the transition towards a society based on sustainable renewable energy has increased significantly during the last decade, leading to changes in how energy systems are integrated into societies around the world [1]. Their research concluded that community energy initiatives play an important role in overcoming challenges of uneven economic development, inequality and fuel poverty similar to the results of our research in Limburg These issues are especially prevalent in countries with a colonial history which differs it from the Netherlands. While our research took a specific focus on the Dutch experience of the governance of energy transition, it can be seen within the wider movement of the democratization of energy and a just energy transition This movement calls for more participatory forms of energy provisions, including local autonomy over energy in decentralized systems such as seen in LRECs. Energy cooperatives are expected to play a strong part in this movement as they are owned and managed by the members of their members and reflect the priorities of their communities as indicated by Stephens [14].
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