Renewable Energy Cooperatives as a Stimulating Factor in Household Energy Savings

Little is known about how renewable energy cooperatives (REScoops) try to influence energy conservation among households and the resulting impact. In this article the main research question is: What is the predictive value of renewable energy cooperatives on intention to save energy, engagement in energy-saving actions, and self-reported energy...

Innovation in the European energy sector and regulatory responses to it: Guest editorial note

The European energy sector is an important economic sector that is also traditionally highly regulated. With the increasing tempo in which innovations in technology and markets occur, catalysed inter alia by the energy transition and accompanied by new formats of innovation (disruptive and bottom-up), the question arises whether existing...

Facilitating energy transition through energy commons: An application of socio-ecological systems framework for integrated community energy systems

Integrated Community Energy Systems (ICES) are an emerging local energy system focusing on the collective use of distributed energy resources (DER). These socio-technical systems (STSs) have a high potential to advance the transition towards socially inclusive, environmentally-friendly energy systems and to stimulate the local economy. While...

Evaluation of REScoop interventions to simulate household energy conservation: Results from a survey in six EU countries

In recent years cooperatives for renewable energy supply (REScoops) have emerged as important new actors in energy markets. They provide their members (i.e., households) with renewably generated energy within a cooperative model that enables members to co-decide on its strategic and tactical goals, plans and business model. REScoops do not only...

The role of intermediaries in supporting local low-carbon energy initiatives

Recent scholarly attention shows that grassroots civil society low-carbon energy initiatives increasingly become part of the subnational climate change governance landscape. Despite their potency in view of consumer-owned distributed generation and enhanced citizen influence in the organization of the energy infrastructure, local low-carbon...

Social Innovation and the Energy Transition

The transition to low carbon energy systems cannot solely rely on technological innovation. It also requires social innovation. In the context of energy transition social innovation can be defined as innovation that is social in its means and which contributes to low carbon energy transition, civic empowerment and social goals pertaining to the...

Integrated Community Energy Systems

Energy systems across the globe are going through a radical transformation as a result of technological and institutional changes, depletion of fossil fuel resources, and climate change issues. Accordingly, local energy initiatives are emerging and increasing number of the business models are focusing on the end-users. In this context,...

Resisting The Iron Law of Oligarchy: case of community energy system

The iron law of oligarchy claims that the complex organisation will always end up in an oligarchy, no matter it was constituted originally. In that sense, the oligarchy should also happen in the Community Energy System (CES) as a complex self-govern common-pool resource system. The oligarchy situation raises the issue of the fairness and the...

Addressing Different Approaches for Evaluating Low-Exergy Communities

The IEA Annex 64 focusing on low-ex communities aims at the improvement of energy conversion chains on a community scale, using exergy analysis as the primary evaluation mode. Within this Annex the participants discuss important aspects and available methods for energy and exergy assessment as well as the added value of aiming for low exergy ...

Actual Energy Savings of Renovated Dwellings: the Case of Amsterdam

The existing housing stock plays a major role in the realization of the energy efficiency targets. The non-profit housing sector in the Netherlands dominates the housing market as it represents 31% of the total housing stock. In the municipality of Amsterdam, where this share is even 46%, subsidies were given to housing associations between 2011...

Exploring interventions and tools used by REScoops to lower householders’ energy consumption and stimulate investment in RES projects

REScoops are well positioned to spur energy savings among householders and generate investment in renewable energy projects. As compared to other agents in energy markets they have many benefits, particularly their embeddedness in local, social structures. In this paper we explore in which ways, and by using which tools and interventions...

Multi-objective optimisation of Integrated Community Energy Systems and assessment of the impact on households

Sustainability has gained considerable interest at all levels in society during the last decades. Climate change has been a large contributor to this mentality change. As current energy systems are inefficient and contribute to climate change, a transition towards more efficient energy systems is sought. The share of local produced energy in the...

Viability of Self-Governance in Community Energy Systems: Structuring an Approach for Assessment

This paper sets out to formulate a structured approach to assist in analyzing the viability of self-governance in community energy systems. Existing research in self-governance in the framework of socio-ecological systems provides a basis for analysis in applications concerning socio-technical systems, but more than a basis is needed. Although...