The Italian energy transition in a multilevel system: between reinforcing dynamics and institutional constraints

The article analyses drivers as well as coordination mechanisms and instruments for the energy transition in Italy from a multilevel governance perspective. It addresses the structural constraints that influenced the decision-making processes and organisation of the Italian energy sector and the socio-technical challenges opened up by enhancing renewables. The current energy system is making the move from a centralised, path-dependent institutional and organisational structure to a more fragmented and pluralistic one. Renewables and decentralised patterns of production and consumption are key elements of this paradigmatic shift, which is paralleled by a multiplication of decision-making arenas and actors. These actors follow different interests, problem understandings and green growth narratives, increasing the complexity of governing the energy transition. Against this background, community-based renewable energy policy is assuming a very important role and Italy is putting efforts to establish an enabling framework in line with the requirements of the European Union. The goal of this strategy is to foster a positive link between acceptance of the energy transition and decentralised local activities. In the conclusion we address problems and barriers to new modes of governance, and discuss possible approaches to improved cooperation

Die italienische Energiewende im Mehrebenensystem: Zwischen sich gegenseitig verstärkender Dynamiken und institutionellen Zwängen

The article analyses drivers as well as coordination mechanisms and instruments for the energy transition in Italy from a multilevel governance perspective. It addresses the structural constraints that influenced the decision-making processes and organisation of the Italian energy sector and the socio-technical challenges opened up by enhancing renewables. The current energy system is making the move from a centralised, path-dependent institutional and organisational structure to a more fragmented and pluralistic one. Renewables and decentralised patterns of production and consumption are key elements of this paradigmatic shift, which is paralleled by a multiplication of decision-making arenas and actors. These actors follow different interests, problem understandings and green growth narratives, increasing the complexity of governing the energy transition. Against this background, community-based renewable energy policy is assuming a very important role and Italy is putting efforts to establish an enabling framework in line with the requirements of the European Union. The goal of this strategy is to foster a positive link between acceptance of the energy transition and decentralised local activities. In the conclusion we address problems and barriers to new modes of governance, and discuss possible approaches to improved cooperation.Der Artikel analysiert Treiber sowie Koordinationsmechanismen und Instrumente für die Energiewende in Italien aus einer Multi-Level-Governance-Perspektive. Er befasst sich mit den strukturellen Barrieren, welche die Entscheidungsprozesse und die Organisation des italienischen Energiesektors beeinflusst haben sowie mit den sozio-technischen Herausforderungen, die sich durch den Ausbau der erneuerbaren Energien ergeben. Das derzeitige Energiesystem befindet sich auf dem Weg von einer zentralisierten, pfadabhängigen institutionellen und organisatorischen Struktur zu einer stärker fragmentierten und pluralistischen Struktur. Erneuerbare Energien und dezentrale Produktions- und Konsummuster sind Schlüsselelemente dieses Paradigmenwechsels, der mit einer Vervielfachung der Entscheidungsarenen und Akteure einhergeht. Diese Akteure folgen unterschiedlichen Interessen, Problemverständnissen und grünen „Wachstumsnarrativen“, was die Steuerungskomplexität der Energiewende erhöht. Vor diesem Hintergrund nehmen die Bürgerenergie im allgemeinen und Erneuerbare-Energie-Gemeinschaften im Besonderen eine wichtige Rolle ein. Derzeit unternimmt die Regierung Italiens Anstrengungen, einen Förderrahmen zu schaffen, der den Anforderungen der Europäischen Union entspricht. Das Ziel dieser Strategie ist, eine positive Verbindung zwischen der Akzeptanz der Energiewende und dezentralen lokalen Aktivitäten zu fördern. In der Schlussfolgerung gehen wir auf Probleme und Barrieren für neue Formen der Governance ein und diskutieren mögliche Ansätze für eine verbesserte Kooperation

Learning from Other Community Renewable Energy Projects: Transnational Transfer of Multi-Functional Energy Gardens from the Netherlands to Germany

Citizen energy in general and renewable energy communities (RECs) in particular are becoming key vehicles for decentralisation, but also for the democratisation of the energy system. These initiatives are now more diverse than ever and are likely to continue to act as incubators for significant projects in the transition to a renewable energy system. Beside the legal, regulatory, and financial challenges, there are several socio-economic and regulatory barriers that hinder the implementation of community energy projects. For this reason, policy learning and the dissemination of good/best practices that are transferable also to other contexts are important. This is an aspect that has not yet attracted much investigation, and only a few studies have explored the importance of transfer activities for the implementation of REC initiatives and their motives. This article aimed to address this knowledge gap by focussing on the transfer processes of best practices initiated in a particular region and discusses how these can be adapted and transferred to other contexts. We analysed the transfer case of a community renewable energy initiative, the multifunctional energy gardens, from the Netherlands to the German federal State of Thuringia, and extracted lessons with an overall validity for the transferability of drivers and success factors. We show how examples from other contexts with similar enabling conditions can represent significant foundations on which to build an effective strategy and what framework conditions are necessary to enhance the uptake of pervasive community energy initiatives in regions with low community energy development

Overcoming Barriers to the Community Acceptance of Wind Energy: Lessons Learnt from a Comparative Analysis of Best Practice Cases across Europe

Empirical evidence has shown that local community opposition is one of the key obstacles for new wind energy development. Consequently, the community acceptance of renewables, such as wind energy, has become a crux for Europe in both achieving and going beyond its renewable energy targets. Significant academic literature has already been devoted to conceptualising the community acceptance of wind energy. This article builds on the existing research by showcasing how regions and municipalities across Europe have successfully and effectively been able to overcome barriers to community acceptance. In doing so, 10 best practice case studies across six European countries have been carefully identified and investigated. The results of individual assessment of these different cases, each of which employ different types of measures/approaches, are comparatively analysed in order to identify the key success factors (drivers) for achieving community acceptance of wind energy in Europe. The identification of the success factors serves to start paving the way for the transfer of these measures/approaches to other municipalities and regions across Europe, particularly those who may encounter similar barriers of community acceptance of wind energy. Thus, our findings deliver to policy makers and developers a number of lessons learnt on how to organise future actions by proposing ways their activities can enhance community acceptance

Explaining factors leading to community acceptance of wind energy. Results of an expert assessment

The present article deals with two key drivers of social acceptance of wind energy: procedural justice and distributional justice. It is based on a comparative expert assessment carried out in the frame of the Horizon 2020 project WinWind covering six European countries. The focus of the paper is on procedural and financial participation of citizens and local stakeholders in wind energy projects. The first part covers institutional arrangements for public engagement in two areas of the decision-making process—wind turbine zoning/siting in spatial plans and authorization procedures. Here, three levels of public involvement—information, consultation and participation—were analyzed. The second part examines active and financial participation of citizens and local stakeholders. Here, we distinguish between two different modes of governance: institutionalized forms of public governance and voluntary forms of corporate governance. The outcomes suggest that concrete paths to the social acceptance of wind energy are fostered via appropriate institutional spaces for public engagement. Furthermore, missing opportunities for active and passive financial participation can have strong negative consequences for community acceptance

Does polycentrism deliver? A case study of energy community governance in Europe

The European Union's Clean Energy Package (CEP) plans to transform ‘passive consumers’ into ‘active citizens’ to support the transition to a carbon-neutral energy system by 2050. By stimulating the growth of renewable energy communities, the CEP works towards the redefinition of renewable energy as an economic commodity to a common good. In this paper, we approach the implementation of the CEP through the notion of polycentricity. Building on previous literature, we identified seven variables for effective polycentric energy governance: equity and co-benefits; inclusivity and local involvement; information, demonstration and innovation; ownership and accountability; organizational multiplicity; experimentation and flexibility; and clear goals set and enforced by a higher-level authority. To compare a variety of polycentric institutional configurations, we analyze Norway, the Netherlands, and Germany. Our findings indicate that, in general, some degree of polycentricity appears to be beneficial for the energy transition. This is the foundation for building local ownership and inclusivity and thus the emphasis is rightly placed there and could be expanded. Secondly, issues of ownership and accountability stand out as key enablers of renewable energy communities and the additional common goods that they bring to the energy system. These communities need to be enabled in financial terms to deploy a sufficient amount of projects, e.g., by giving them access to risk capital in the early development stages. In turn, this requires clear regulations and accountability mechanisms being installed on what precisely falls under the definition of a renewable energy community. Finally, we found that even as polycentricity is a promising approach, it does need to be anchored with a significant role for higher level government in order to function effectively

Community Acceptance of Wind Energy Developments: Experience from Wind Energy Scarce Regions in Europe

Renewable energy plays an important role in the transition to a low emission society, yet in many regions energy projects have resulted in increasing societal polarization. Based on a comprehensive literature review and a survey among stakeholders from specific regions in Germany, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Poland and Spain with little prior experience with wind energy, we highlight six categories of factors that shape community acceptance of onshore wind energy development: technical characteristics of wind energy projects, environmental impacts, economic impacts, societal impacts, contextual factors and individual characteristics. We identify key similarities in acceptance-related patterns of wind energy development across the selected regions, but also important differences, highlighting the very context-specific nature of community acceptance. The findings contribute to improving the understanding of the forces, factors and relationships at play between policy frameworks and perceptions of wind energy under different conditions. We conclude by proposing policy recommendations regarding measures to increase the positive impacts and reduce the negative impacts of wind energy projects, and to strengthen existing drivers and reduce barriers to community acceptance of wind energy development

Can renewable energy communities enable a just energy transition? Exploring alignment between stakeholder motivations and needs and EU policy in Latvia, Norway, Portugal and Spain

As a response to societal polarisation and mobilisation against the clean energy transition and renewable energy projects, policy makers at EU level have put focus on renewable energy communities as an instrument to drive transition, due their ability to promote citizens' participation and control over decision-making in renewable energy at local level. Literature on public acceptance and legitimacy of renewable energy projects highlights issues related to who are recognised and included as stakeholders, (un)fair distribution of the costs and benefits related to projects and the decision-making procedures involved. Renewable energy communities bring potential positive aspects that drive public acceptance, including social ownership, community development and distribution of benefits to grassroot actors. We contribute to the literature on how energy justice is perceived and can be enacted through renewable energy communities. In this article we explore what challenges for energy justice can be identified for renewable energy communities from the perspective of potential and existing shareholders in Latvia, Norway, Portugal and Spain. We also briefly discuss how identified challenges are addressed in the recast Renewable Energy Directive (REDII)

Implementing European Union Provisions and Enabling Frameworks for Renewable Energy Communities in Nine Countries: Progress, Delays, and Gaps

With the Clean Energy for all Europeans legislative package, the European Union (EU) aimed to put consumers “at the heart” of EU energy policy. The recast of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) acknowledged the importance of energy communities for the energy transition and introduced new provisions for renewable energy communities (RECs), empowering them to participate in the energy market. This article analyses the progress of transposing and implementing key provisions of the RED II that apply to RECs in nine European countries and focuses on timeliness and completeness of transposition. It comprises both a qualitative and quantitative assessment covering (1) the definition, rights, and market activities of RECs; (2) key elements of enabling frameworks; and (3) consideration of REC specificities in support schemes for renewable energy. The analysis shows considerable variation in transposition performance between the analysed countries. The authors investigate the reasons for this variation and relate them to findings of European implementation and compliance research. Key factors identified include actor-related and capacity-related factors, institutional fit, and characteristics of the RED II itself. Future research in this field needs multi-faceted avenues and should pay particular attention to the influence of national governments and incumbents, not only in the transposition process, but already in upstream policy formulation at the European level