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Sigrid Kusch, University of Southampton, UK, and Giovanni Beggio, University of Padua, Italy
Urban renewable energy facilities owned by the community – what are they about, why are they important, and what are the challenges?
From the perspective of environmental engineering, renewable energy production is mainly about optimising process technology, increasing efficiency degrees, overcoming technical obstacles, and finding solutions that are economically viable. However, when it comes to the implementation of such projects, focusing on technical and economic feasibility is not enough. Aside from very simple standard solutions, each successful project means that interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary challenges were addressed in appropriate ways. When looking at sustainability not only with regard to environmental and economic criteria, but also including further social dimension, community-based projects have particularly high attractiveness. Achieving active participation of the citizen is a vital element in sustainable development.
In bringing the topic of cooperatively owned energy production facilities onto the agenda of sustainable urbanisation, this article aims at starting a dialogue between engineering and social sciences. Community-based projects, especially those with strong technical aspects, need favourable frameworks and suitable policy responses to avoid the risk of falling between disciplines and policies. Private companies and public entities still heavily dominate the energy sector. It is a key challenge to promote and establish community-based energy production as an alternative that is viable and attractive to many citizens.
Overcoming the barrier between awareness and pro-environmental behaviour
Cooperatively owned facilities hold a clear potential to overcome the barriers between environmental awareness and actual pro-environmental behaviour. They introduce an element of identification and create motivating and rewarding community processes. Cooperatives operate as autonomous associations of people. Various organisational forms and financing models exist but, generally, they all adopt the principles and values elaborated by the International Co-operative Alliance: voluntary and open membership; democratic member control; economic participation by members; autonomy and independence; education, training and information; cooperation among cooperatives; and concern for the community (Viardot, 2013).
Cooperatives for Renewable Energy
Renewable energy source cooperatives have reached a considerable number worldwide, which is even more remarkable when considering the often high financial requirements of such facilities. Several hundreds of cooperatively owned renewable energy facilities across Europe are listed alone in the database of REScoop.eu, an initiative launched by the Federation of Groups and Cooperatives of Citizens for Renewable Energy in Europe. Renewable energy source cooperatives propose an innovative organisation