Inclusive transitions through community energy initiatives
Europe’s transition to clean energy is not only about replacing fossil fuels with renewable technologies. It is also about deciding who gets to participate, who has a say, and who benefits.
This dissertation examines community energy initiatives: projects in which citizens collectively produce, manage, or invest in renewable energy, such as solar panels, wind turbines, and local heating systems. These initiatives are often expected to make the energy transition more democratic and inclusive. In practice, however, their outcomes vary. Some give citizens meaningful decision-making power and distribute benefits widely, while others remain small, struggle to develop, or are mainly accessible to people who can afford to participate.
The research investigates why these differences occur. It shows that community energy depends on the interaction between social organization, financing, government policy, technology, infrastructure, and local conditions. Drawing primarily on evidence from the Netherlands, as well as wider European experience, the dissertation finds that inclusive community energy requires supportive and stable policies, accessible financial arrangements, meaningful citizen influence, and technologies suited to local circumstances. It also highlights important trade-offs. Projects that grow larger and become more professional may generate more renewable energy, but can become less locally rooted or accessible.
Overall, the dissertation shows that community energy can make the energy transition more participatory and locally beneficial, but this does not happen automatically. Inclusion depends on how projects are governed, financed, supported, and designed.