Renewable Energy Cooperatives Research Articles

Research on technical cooperation path of renewable energy between China and South Africa

South Africa possesses extremely rich renewable energy resources, including solar energy and wind energy, in spite of this, South Africa traditionally relies on coal as its primary energy source. Recently, South Africa confronted with severe electricity shortage. With pressure of power shortage and the transition to low-carbon energy, South Africa has been actively promoting the development of renewable energy, aiming to diversify its energy structure. China, as the world’s leading country in the development and utilization of renewable energy, has long been committed to helping South Africa achieve renewable energy development. This article reviews the cooperation progress between China and South Africa in renewable energy, and provides an in-depth analysis of the challenges currently faced by both sides. To address such challenges, it is suggested to strengthen the design of top-level cooperation mechanisms, create diverse collaboration platforms, prioritize the exchange and collaboration of scientific talents. This paper aims to provide a typical reference for deepening renewable energy cooperation between China and South Africa.

Tensions Between Local Embeddedness and Scaling up: Insights from Grassroots Sustainability Initiatives in the Renewable Energy Transition

Although grassroots initiatives in the renewable energy transition are flourishing, their embeddedness in local contexts challenges their capacity to spread their impact on a broader scale. Certainly, while scaling up has been described as difficult to combine with local embeddedness, little is known on the specific nature of the tensions involved in combining the two. Studying a federation of citizen renewable energy (RE) cooperatives in the south of France, we show that the engagement in a scaling-up process at a regional level generates three main kinds of tensions associated with specific dimensions of local embeddedness: natural, cultural, and political. We emphasize how these dimensions are likely to be threatened when the federation engages the cooperatives in a rapid scaling-up dynamic in which the drive to industrialize projects and find funding is dominant. We acknowledge the effects of these tensions on grassroots sustainability initiatives and collective organizing processes.

A cooperative interprovincial management model under renewable portfolio standard policy accounting for employment factors

The vigorous development of renewable energy (RE) is the key to mitigating climate change, realizing energy transformation and thereby guaranteeing energy security. China formally implemented the renewable portfolio standard (RPS) in 2019 and has made certain advances, however, the spatial reverse distribution of RE supply and power consumption center and interprovincial barriers hinder the further development of the RPS. Therefore, this study considers the quota completion cost and employment factors comprehensively to construct a cooperative interprovincial management model (CIMM) of the RPS and address the interprovincial barriers while giving full play to provincial advantages. The minimum cost residual saving method is used to apportion the cooperation cost reasonably. Beijing, Hebei, Inner Mongolia and Shandong are taken as case provinces to verify the model. The result shows that, compared to the territorial management model, the CIMM increases RE generation by 19.58% and employment creation by 19.19% and lowers quota completion costs by 3.84%. A sensitivity analysis verified the robustness of the model. This study provides a scientific interprovincial cooperation model and cost distribution method for the central government to realize the efficient utilization of RE, and promote the further development of RE. Finally, policy recommendations to promote RE cooperation are proposed.

Risk analysis of China's renewable energy cooperation with belt and road economies

International cooperation for renewable energy under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) plays a pivotal role in the transition to low-carbon energy in BRI developing countries. However, the rise in energy, debt, food, and geopolitical crises, along with the unique internal challenges found in different BRI developing countries, introduce multiple uncertainties to international renewable energy cooperation (IREC). Therefore, it is crucial to analyze the risks associated with IREC across different BRI countries by incorporating international cooperation theory. This study proposes an analytical framework comprising cooperation consensus–state capacity–institutional environment, which encompasses the willingness to cooperate, national capabilities, and international institutional considerations. An evaluation indicator system is constructed based on this framework. The study optimizes the indicator weights obtained from expert surveys using the analytic hierarchy process and the criteria importance through intercriteria correlation method. A quantitative assessment of IREC risks was conducted for 114 BRI countries from 2010 to 2020. The results indicate a gradual reduction in IREC risks between China and BRI countries. Regional risk assessments reveal that Southeast Asia exhibits the lowest average risk, while Africa not only records the highest average risk but also indicates substantial cooperation potential. Therefore, we recommend a comprehensive approach to risk mitigation. Such an approach would include gradually improving cooperation mechanisms, promoting both top-down and bottom-up cooperation, encouraging the involvement of multiple stakeholders, and prioritizing early-stage risk assessments and research.

Diagnosis of the Development of Energy Cooperatives in Poland—A Case Study of a Renewable Energy Cooperative in the Upper Silesian Region

Renewable energy sources (RESs) offer key transformative potential from a societal point of view due to their modularity and ability to generate energy at the local level, allowing for the development of grassroots democratic and participatory initiatives. The paper aims to share insights into the processes of creating RES cooperatives in Poland. One of the first cooperatives to be established in the Upper Silesian region in Poland was the energy cooperative (EC) “Our Energy”. This study presents an in-depth empirical analysis of a community-based renewable energy cooperative. The study employed a case study methodology, including a SWOT analysis framework, to describe the research subject and identify its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Key findings indicate that members benefit from stable energy prices and full recovery of the energy produced, and the cooperative is at the forefront of energy-sharing practices that minimize costs through direct transactions with the local municipality. The strategic goals of the EC focus on expanding membership, increasing the number of photovoltaic installations, implementing energy balancing, combating energy poverty, and reducing emissions. Challenges such as financial constraints and a lack of real-time monitoring of energy distribution are acknowledged, and carbon footprint reduction innovations and stakeholder engagement are highlighted as forward-looking approaches. The study highlights the role of cooperatives as a model for community-led sustainable energy initiatives. However, the study acknowledges the limitations of its small sample size, suggesting the need for broader research to understand the impact of collaborative energy on decarbonization. Future research directions are proposed, focusing on the long-term sustainability and socioeconomic impacts of energy cooperatives. This study contributes to the scholarly discourse on renewable energy cooperatives by offering insight into their potential to bridge the gap between energy producers and consumers and support sustainable community development. The main novelty of this paper lies in its detailed examination of a specific renewable energy cooperative, incorporating SWOT analysis, stakeholder perspectives, quantitative assessments, and a forward-thinking approach. This multifaceted analysis contributes to the existing literature on renewable energy initiatives, providing a valuable reference for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in the field.

Renewable energy as a connecting spot between China and Central and Eastern European countries: status, directions and perspectives

BackgroundConsidering energy- and climate-related policies adopted, the European Union and the People’s Republic of China are expected to be on the same trajectory of reducing pollution, aiming for carbon neutrality in 2050 and 2060, respectively. However, although they share a common goal of more sustainable development, their targets and means often collide. The main objective of the study is to identify the main similarities and differences in approaches to energy and climate policies in the European Union and the People’s Republic of China, with special attention given to the scope, past, present, and future of Chinese investments in renewable energy projects in the countries of the Central and Eastern European region, and to reveal the prevailing factors of the (un)successful renewable energy projects in those countries eventually. The methods used are literature review and qualitative content analysis of the European Union’s and the People’s Republic of China’s energy- and climate-related policies according to the prescribed indicators (from 2005 onwards) and in-depth exploratory desk research of cooperation in renewable energy projects between the People’s Republic of China and 14 Central and Eastern European Countries (from 2014 onwards).ResultsThe study showed that despite the significant alignment of the European Union’s and the People’s Republic of China’s energy- and climate-related policies on a normative level, renewable energy cooperation between the People’s Republic of China and Central and Eastern European countries on a practical level is moderate. This state of play mainly results from political factors, such as rising levels of Sino-scepticism and the overall deterioration of the European Union–People’s Republic of China relations.ConclusionsThe study showed that political rather than economic or legal factors had a great impact on the Chinese presence in the domain of renewable energy in the countries of the Central and Eastern European region. However, the significant alignment of the European Union’s and the People’s Republic of China’s energy- and climate-related policies and dedication to common energy transition targets offer room for improving renewable energy cooperation. Overcoming political and economic divergences imposes a condition for achieving better cooperation in the renewable energy domain.

Paradiplomasi Pemerintah Nusa Tenggara Barat dengan International Council For Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) Menuju Penerapan Renewable Energy

This study examines the Paradiplomasi conducted by the Provincial Government of West Nusa Tenggara with ICLEI in tackling the energy problems of NTB, where NTB is the only province that was selected as a Pilot Project in Indonesia, and included in the ICLEI Roadmap. NTB provincial government cooperation with ICLEI in the field of renewable energy since 2020-2023. This cooperation begins with an offer of ICLEI cooperation to the NTB provincial government regarding renewable energy. This research is based on the concept of Single-Themed paradiplomation proposed by Rodrigo Tavarez. According to Rodrigo Tavarez paradiplomasi Single Themed is the cooperation of local governments with foreign parties, with one focus areas of cooperation, in research that is the focus on renewable energy cooperation. The concept of paradiplomasi is also to help describe the implementation of paradiplomasi practices carried out by the NTB provincial government. This research is also coupled with the theory of Decision Making Process to assist the NTB provincial government in formulating by passing through several consideration processes, coordination which is the benchmark for NTB provincial government policy in the implementation of paradiplomasi with ICLEI.

Techno-economic feasibility of using solar energy in small-scale broiler production

Poultry farming is an energy intensive industry necessitating a substantial amount of fossil fuel consumption and leading to elevated operational expenses. This study investigated the economic feasibility of implementing renewable energy in small-scale broiler farms to decrease their dependency on fossil fuels and increase their profit. Assessment was based on experimental data collected from broiler production operations carried out in a green poultry house equipped with solar renewable energy systems and a conventional poultry house operated on conventional energy source. The experiments were conducted during both the warm and cold seasons in a semi-arid rural area in Lebanon. Average annual costs and benefits from broiler operations were calculated based on a total of 8 production cycles/year. Cost-benefit analysis was conducted to assess the viability of introducing renewable energy in broiler production. In addition, a twenty-year financial feasibility analysis was performed for both green and conventional systems using two different time value of money parameters; the Net Present Value (NPV) and the Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR). The results showed that broiler production using conventional energy achieved a total cost of 2.25 % lower than the cost incurred using green energy and higher total revenues of 5.55 %. Negative NPV and less than 1 BCR values were computed for both green and conventional systems demonstrating that broiler production in the study area is non-profitable in small-scale broiler farms, independently of the source of energy. Accordingly, it is recommended to adopt renewable energy cooperatives based on partnership between small-scale farms. This cooperative-based partnership model has proven to allow the adoption of renewable energy sources as sustainable and economically viable approach, contributing to increased farmers' revenues. Government subsidies and financial incentives are also essential to ensure the success and sustainability of the renewable energy cooperatives.

Promotion or hindrance? Exploring the bidirectional causality between geopolitical risk and green bonds from an energy perspective

This paper discusses the time-varying causalities between global geopolitical risk (GPR) and green bonds (GBs) from the energy market perspective, with a sample period of 2012:M10-2022:M09 and a rolling window subsample causality test. Oil prices and the investment, consumption and cooperation of renewable energy are considered important factors of the energy market. Empirical results show that GPR negatively affects GBs in three different subperiods. Tense geopolitical situations caused fluctuations in oil prices and reduced market participants’ interest in green bonds. On the other hand, the alleviation of GPR has promoted renewable energy cooperation and increased demand for green bonds. In contrast, GBs have both positive and negative effects on GPR. Green bonds guarantee the financial needs of energy transformation, enhance energy security, and lower GPR. However, competition for renewable energy resources will lead to new geopolitical conflicts. The time-varying heterogeneity for the causalities and the bidirectional intensity are clearly identified to provide new insights for existing theoretical research. Thus, understanding the causalities during subperiods is beneficial for market participants to make better decisions to prevent geopolitical conflicts and promote the development of the green bond market.

David against Goliath? Challenges and opportunities for energy cooperatives in Southern Europe

Unlike in some northern European countries, renewable energy cooperatives in Portugal, Spain and Italy are few and represent a very small share of the energy market. This article aims to understand the social, political, economic and cultural factors that affect the development of renewable energy cooperatives in southern Europe, but also the opportunities and benefits cooperatives offer over other energy providers in the energy transition. It is based on a comparative analysis of four case studies of cooperatives in Portugal, Spain and Italy, relying on document analysis, observation and interviews with cooperative representatives, complemented with legal, policy and statistical data for contextualisation.We ascertain that energy policies have favoured large utility companies and concentrated energy generation, while a lack of civic culture of participation and mistrust of cooperatives have also hindered their development. Furthermore, we show how cooperatives have unique features that make them valuable actors in energy systems: promotion of environmental and social values, local embeddedness, flexibility to diversify activities, ability to mobilise networks of similar organisations and fostering democratic governance and participation.

Energy cooperatives and just transition in Southeastern Europe

BackgroundThe energy markets of Southeastern Europe largely depend on fossil fuels. Energy prices are lower in this region than in the rest of Europe, while the energy transition is relatively delayed. This paper aims at summarizing the obstacles to the civic energy transition in Southeastern Europe and the future prospects for its success.ResultsIn Southeastern Europe, there are great concerns about the uncertainty of the energy transition process and its outcomes. There is a lot of apprehensions that the transition could drift away from the citizens and end up in the hands of large-scale solar and wind farms entirely. In other words, citizens may be completely excluded from participating in the energy transition. Renewable energy cooperatives can serve as a crucial vehicle for organizing and engaging citizens in the energy transition. They can also be used as a lever of civic influence. This influence is crucial for ensuring a fair transition. The research methodology on cooperative development includes a literature review and a survey conducted with 240 participants. The participants were local government officials, members of NGOs, businesses, scholars, and citizens. The paper summarizes the answers to the questions which the authors considered essential for deepening our understanding of citizens’ attitudes on a (just) energy transition. The results show that the public awareness about the energy transition has increased. In addition, participants have demonstrated a willingness to take action, both as individuals and through cooperative efforts. However, they have also shown a great level of mistrust in the government, mainly due to perceived corruption and lack of transparency. Generally speaking, they have doubts that the energy transition can be completed in a fair and timely manner within their national context.ConclusionsThis paper provides insight into the current state of affairs and the prospects for the energy transition based on the attitudes of the citizens in Southeastern Europe. The paper argues that energy cooperatives should be employed as a training ground for the citizens, since, through joint actions, their trust in each other can be regained, rehearsed, and restored.

Mechanisms and challenges of renewable energy cooperation in Northeast Asia

In recent decades, sustainable economic growth has caused an increase in energy consumption in North Asia, especially in China, Japan and South Korea. However, internal supply cannot meet energy demand, bringing two related consequences: First, the enlargement of the gap between production and consumption leads to dependence on external energy sources. Second, forcing the government to map its energy policy. However, unlike other regions such as the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian nations, the dependence of the Energy of Northeast Asia has not caused the closest intra-regional cooperation. Conversely, in some cases, it damages cooperation and worsens non -constructive competition. Therefore, in this study, we aim to highlight the problematic relationship between energy securitization and regional energy cooperation in Northeast Asia and provide an analysis of the reasons, mechanisms and challenges for regional cooperation led by energy. In this case, we think that, by exploiting regional compatibility in the generation of renewable energy and in the consumer model, building a mechanism of integration and multimodal communication will promote greater integration and contribute to filling the gap between securitization and energy cooperation in the east and work the same in the east and working with Asia.

Fit for social innovation? Policy reflections for EU energy and climate policy making

Abstract Achieving climate-neutrality by mid-century and its intermediary reduction targets for 2030, notably the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 55% by 2030, requires an accelerated transformation of our systems of production and consumption. In essence, such transformations are socio-technical change processes that require a combination of technological and social innovation. While it is widely acknowledged that ambitious climate and energy policies are needed to accelerate such transition processes, research and practise have largely focused on their importance for spurring technological innovation. In this research perspective, we argue that energy and climate policy making should pay more attention to social innovation as much needed additional puzzle piece for successful decarbonisation. Such social innovation is diverse, ranging from renewable energy cooperatives, to participatory incubation and experimentation, and crowdfunding as well as local electricity exchange. Based on a literature review that informed an EU policy dialogue bringing together policy makers, practitioners and researchers and followed up by a workshop with city administrations, twelve practical action points were co-created on how to better consider social innovation in energy and climate policy making in the EU (and beyond). We thereby hope to stimulate a broader discourse on the dual need for social and technological innovation for reaching climate-neutrality.

A cooperative of their own: Gender implications on renewable energy cooperatives in Germany

Renewable energy cooperatives are crucial for local communities to initiate energy transition. With a mixed-methodological approach, this paper analyses the participation of women in renewable energy cooperatives in Germany and reveals the socio-cultural barriers. This study presents an intersectional analysis that integrates gender with other socio-cultural categories and identities within the social context of cooperatives. This study presents the results from a sex ratio analysis of energy cooperatives (N = 388), online interviews (N = 161), and semi-structured interviews (N = 9). Results show that a lack of awareness of opportunities, financial resources, and time for volunteer-based workload and the lack of recognition of social inequalities in the cooperatives hinder women from actively taking part in leadership roles. This study concludes by discussing how contribution to localised renewable energy production reflects differently on genders. It also provides suggestions such as mentorship and diversity programs that would allow more women to take management roles and encourage a more inclusive and fair transition for all.

Sino-Egyptian Renewable Energy Cooperation: Current Situation, Opportunities and Challenges

Sino-Egyptian Renewable Energy Cooperation: Current Situation, Opportunities and Challenges

Economic Conditions for the Development of Energy Cooperatives in Poland

One of the important areas of the energy transformation is the citizens involvement in the energy production process. This is a prerequisite for maintaining the security of supply and price stabilization. In order for all citizens to have equal opportunities to use green energy, regardless of financial and housing opportunities, energy cooperatives are established in many countries. In Poland, the first renewable energy cooperatives emerged in 2021 but, unfortunately, their role in the energy transformation process will be rather limited in the near future. This is mainly due to the numerous legal, economic and social barriers that hinder their creation. This article adopts the hypothesis that there are too many barriers in Poland that discourage the creation of energy cooperatives or other forms of collective prosumption. The main obstacle is the limitations of installed power, coerced by the poor condition of the network infrastructure. The aim of the article is to answer the question of whether, given the current legal and economic conditions, a large-scale development of energy cooperatives is possible in Poland, or will the existing barriers make this development limited and not contribute to the country’s energy transformation? To answer this question, primary and secondary sources were used. Primary research relied on interviews in all cooperatives operating in Poland. Based on the literature on the subject, reference was made to the experiences of other EU countries. The research shows that there are strong economic, legal and mental barriers to the development of cooperatives in Poland. Overcoming them requires changes in the law, in the energy policy including decentralization of the energy market and increased public confidence in collective forms of prosumption.

Can offshore wind energy lead to a sustainable and secure South China Sea?

This study aims to determine the potential for improving regional cooperation and clean energy generation in the South China Sea (SCS) through Offshore Wind Energy (OWE). The literature review depicts the broad relationship between renewable energy and regional cooperation. The study identifies three variables-great game of geopolitics, geo-economics, and NEO politics- to arrive at a concept of wind-blindness. It refers to the attempt (of the countries involved) to downplay the existing wind resources and avert attention from them to safeguard the region's strategic military importance, existing trade routes, and rich availability of marine resources. Addressing these concerns could strengthen cooperation between the claimant states for technology, knowledge, and practice sharing, to ensure a sustainable South China Sea region. China's investments in OWE in the South China Sea have the potential to meet the Sustainable Development Goals” target of cleaner, accessible, and affordable energy. Finally, the paper suggests that renewable energy development in the region can reduce the maritime transport of fossil fuels, reducing the carbon footprint.

Community renewable energy’s problematic relationship with social justice: insights from Ontario

ABSTRACT A recent surge of studies from Europe has shown that membership bodies of community renewable energy (CRE) initiatives predominantly consist of affluent white men. This demographic concentration points at a disconnect between CRE activity and its often-assumed potential in simultaneously advancing decarbonisation and social justice. Through a triangulation of documentary policy analysis and interviews with leading members (N = 11) of renewable energy co-operatives (RE co-ops) in Ontario, Canada, this qualitative study sets out to identify factors driving the exclusion of marginalised and frontline communities from CRE initiatives. Findings reveal that a combination of inadequate policy support and complex preparatory activities in Ontario geared the pursuit of CRE development towards affluent, professional class groups with access to necessary practical capacities. To add insult to injury, RE co-ops responded to this precarious policy and regulatory environment by increasing their minimum investment requirements and targeting affluent individuals in their outreach activities, which rendered CRE ownership even more exclusionary for marginalised groups and resulted in the exacerbation of existing inequities between and within communities. Overall, this study reinforces the importance of marginalised groups’ engagement in policy design processes and of explicitly addressing practical capacity inequities between and within communities to ensure just outcomes of CRE policies and activity. Further, it problematises the promotion of CRE activity through competitive energy procurement policies such as feed-in tariffs (FITs) as inherently advantageous for groups with greater and more immediate access to practical capacities.

Distortions of National Policies to Renewable Energy Cooperation Mechanisms

The EU endeavors to stimulate the use of renewable energy cooperation mechanisms. These cooperation mechanisms can significantly reduce the policy cost for meeting renewable targets. Several authors, however, have raised concerns that such cooperation mechanisms can be subject to efficiency losses due to different national regulatory conditions, and due to an ill-advised selection of cross-border support instruments. A quantitative evaluation of these effects remains missing. To address this gap, we first introduce a unifying analytical framework to show how optimal cross-border renewable energy trade should be organized and how these mechanisms could be distorted. We then develop a partial equilibrium model, formulated as a large-scale mathematical program with equilibrium constraints, to assess the impact of (i) different national grid cost allocation regimes and (ii) different cross-border feed-in premium implementations. Our results indicate that EU-wide auctions for renewable electricity should (i) not be based on sliding feed-in premiums and should (ii) ideally be discriminatory if national regulatory conditions differ across Member States. We also consider country-level distributional effects and confirm that Member States can lose when engaging in renewable cooperation.

Resource allocation of fog radio access network based on deep reinforcement learning

AbstractWith the development of energy harvesting technologies and smart grid, the future trend of radio access networks will present a multi‐source power supply. In this article, joint renewable energy cooperation and resource allocation scheme of the fog radio access networks (F‐RANs) with hybrid power supplies (including both the conventional grid and renewable energy sources) is studied. In this article, our objective is to maximize the average throughput of F‐RAN architecture with hybrid energy sources while satisfying the constraints of signal to noise ratio (SNR), available bandwidth, and energy harvesting. To solve this problem, the dynamic power allocation scheme in the network is studied by using Q‐learning and Deep Q Network respectively. Simulation results show that the proposed two algorithms have low complexity and can improve the average throughput of the whole network compared with other traditional algorithms.