What Hinders the Desirability of Participation in Renewable Energy Communities? The Case of Ida-Viru County, Estonia

Unofficial AI-generated summary based on the public title and abstract. Not an official translation.

🔬研究者:Identifies factors specific to just transition regions that hinder energy community participation, expanding the literature on social acceptance.

🏢実務担当者:For community energy developers: consider non-financial barriers such as knowledge gaps and negative perceptions from industrial decline.

🏛政策担当者:Policymakers in just transition regions should provide informational support and address negative perceptions to promote citizen participation in renewable energy.

<title>Abstract</title> <p>Background Existing literature emphasizes the role of citizen participation in renewable energy production to ensure a safe and sustainable energy supply. By promoting the establishment of energy communities in the region, the European Union aims to increase decentralized renewable energy production by involving citizens in the management and operations of those organizations. Socio-technical Systems theory implies the role of social motivation for the establishment of energy communities. On the other hand, Collective Action theory describes the mechanism behind how specific behavioral factors transform into the decision on energy community participation. Existing literature provides an extensive list of factors determining the willingness of potential prosumers to join energy communities and contribute to the sustainable energy transition. However, the literature does not consider the factors specific to just transition regions, which experienced a negative impact on their socio-economic situation due to the green energy transition. Results In this study, the factors impacting the willingness to join energy communities in a just transition region, Ida-Viru County - a peripheral region in Estonia, have been identified based on semi-structured and structured interview data. Loss of jobs because of the reform in the traditional industrial structure of the region is found to create negative impressions regarding renewable energy initiatives, including energy communities. The results indicate that barriers to energy community participation are not only financial, and there are gaps in knowledge regarding energy communities. Furthermore, there is a lack of institutional support to reduce the ambiguity regarding energy communities and existing support schemes. Conclusions Policymakers should consider the existing negative perceptions regarding energy communities in the just transition regions and provide the required informational support to further promote citizen participation in renewable energy production. Future research should focus on investigating the socio-economic impact of energy communities in just transition regions to provide empirical evidence for supporting energy community establishment in those regions.</p>

• Research Square https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9817746/v1first seen 2026-06-16 04:30:05