Success, Failure, and Impact of Local Energy Initiatives in The Netherlands

Abstract

In the last decade, the number of local energy initiatives (LEIs) has increased in western European countries. Although several success factors and barriers in the development of LEIs have been studied by other scholars, there has been limited scholarly interest in the overall impact of LEIs so far. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore their impact by determining their achievement. Additionally, levels of engagement were used to categorise the success factors for and barriers that impede this impact. Initiatives in two provinces in the north of the Netherlands were studied. For the data collection, 84 in-depth interviews were conducted with the initiators of LEIs. In general, it can be concluded that the impact of LEIs is limited. Success factors and barriers in the development of LEIs play out at different levels of engagement: the level of the initiative itself; the community level; and the public–private level. Theoretically, this study provides empirical insights on how to measure the impact of LEIs. Furthermore, the study brings together a variety of factors that influence this impact based on the levels of engagement. Practically, this research offers indications on how to contribute to the further development of LEIs.

Islands as Playing and Breeding Grounds for Incumbents, Entrepreneurial Technologists, Policymakers, and Engaged Citizens: The Case of Energy Transition on Ameland

“…Often, when the energy potential of a particular area is discussed, technologies in relation to the physical aspects of places are considered; however, the Ameland case shows that, in particular, the social factors present in an area are crucial for energy transitions to take off. This is in line with other findings by, for example, [29,36,92] and others. We have also seen that not just internal actors or stakeholders are important in the process: in fact, we have found that a unique combination of local and external actors and factors made the transition process on Ameland a successful enterprise.…”

Message Framing and Attitudes Toward Green Gas Facilities in Rural Communities of The Netherlands

“…Participation by individuals is considered a crucial component of any energy transition project (Germes et al, 2021), so also for a green gas facility. Relevant is the moment of participation in the decision-making process and the nature of that involvement.…”

“…Residents can participate as decision-makers in the initial development, biomass suppliers, financial contributors, or in different combinations of these roles. Energy cooperatives can help shape citizen participation locally (Germes et al, 2021). Different participation perspectives for individuals in a target community are the starting point for outlining different communication strategies for introducing a green gas facility in our approach.…”

New Members Selection for the Expansion of Energy Communities

“…However, joining or leaving an energy community is not possible at any time [22]. The engagement of local citizens is perceived as a success factor in energy communities and the number of households is one of the evaluations used in their decision to continue the project [23]. The study in [24] identifies different factors that influence end-users willingness to adopt the energy community as their energy supply model.…”

“…The overall production at the level of each member and its distribution is stated in (22). Similarly, the total individual consumption is expressed following (23). Next, the power balance at the community level is given by (24)…”