Community energy initiatives: embedding sustainable technology at a local level

Completed

Renewable Energy Sources(Wind Energy)
Other Cross-Cutting Technologies or Research(Environmental, social and economic impacts)
Renewable Energy Sources(Solar Energy)
Renewable Energy Sources(Bio-Energy)

Basic and strategic applied research

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES (Geography and Environmental Studies)
SOCIAL SCIENCES (Economics and Econometrics)
SOCIAL SCIENCES (Politics and International Studies)
SOCIAL SCIENCES (Sociology)
SOCIAL SCIENCES (Education)

Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Policy and regulation)
Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Consumer attitudes and behaviour)
Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Technology acceptance)
Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Other sociological economical and environmental impact of energy)

Professor GP Walker
Geography
Lancaster University

Standard

ESRC

29 March 2004

31 March 2005

12 months

£72,303

No relevance to Underpinning Sectors

North West

ESRC Energy

Professor GP Walker, Geography, Lancaster University

Prof P Devine-Wright, Geography, University of Exeter
Professor Evans, School of the Built & Natural Environment, Northumbria University

Objectives not supplied

Recent policy statements have placed growing importance on sustainable energy generation. This multidisciplinary project evaluated the role of community initiatives in the implementation and embedding of renewable energy technologies in the United Kingdom. The project sought to explain this new theme of policy, evaluate project development on the ground and reflect critically on the distinctivequalities of a community approach to diffusing sustainable energy technologies. The research involved the construction of a database of community projects, programme level interviews and six project case studies. The research found that there has been a multiplicity of drivers for supporting community renewables and that projects take many different forms, both in terms of technology ‘hardwareand the ‘software’ of social arrangements through which the technology is utilised. Who the community is and exactly how ‘it’ should beinvolved and should benefitfrom a community energy project is open to interpretation and challenge. Case study evidence suggests that many of the claims made for community renewables can be observed in practice but that none are guaranteed. Policy interventions need to be more coordinated and inclusive and provide a more concerted commitment to the benefits of community-based processes.

29/10/09