Throughout Europe, many cities & regions continue to rely on heavy industries, the extraction of fossil fuels, and (energy) production from fossil fuel combustion, all to secure local economic growth and generate electricity. EU policy changes, citizens, and social actors are all demanding strong national commitments to decarbonise heavy industries, and to “power past coal”. However, these industries have been, and continue to be, a source of income and identity for communities, despite their many environmental consequences. How then, can decarbonisation be realised without leaving communities struggling? Energy communities are often presented as an important part of this puzzle.
Just Transition Fund (JTF) territories face a real challenge of rising unemployment, higher energy poverty levels, as well as a general decrease in social cohesion as the long presence of carbon-intensive industries has often historically resulted in the creation of close-knit communities and a strong sense of identity and belonging. The development and promotion of renewable energies is therefore considered a potential key driver for these regions, which show significant potential in terms of job creation, as well as meeting regional and local climate targets. At the same time, there is a risk that large renewable energy infrastructure projects will create limited benefits for regional stakeholders. In other words, the bulk of income might actually flow out of the region instead of into the hands of local communities.
The promotion of energy communities can contribute to the promotion of the socially inclusive uptake of renewables by building on established shared identities and contributing to a secure and affordable energy supply. Local and regional authorities have a key role in facilitating such models throughout Europe. At the same time, different interpretations of the concept, as well as the complexity and implications of the industrial and structural change involved in JTF territories, make it essential to introduce energy communities in a way that avoids adding to ever-increasing disparities of wealth, access, privilege, and comfort. In other words, energy communities need to be just.
Join us for this webinar where we will consider: how energy communities can be best promoted as part of just transitions alongside more market-driven renewable energy projects. Given the scale and speed at which JTF territories need to transition and decarbonise, how can we ensure that energy communities do, indeed, contribute to local transitions even when socio-political contexts might be less conducive to such solutions?