Publication Details
Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.3989/ris.2017.75.4.17.03
Title (Primary) Local embeddedness in community energy projects. A social entrepreneurship perspective
Author Vancea, M.; Becker, S.; Kunze, C.
Source Titel Revista Internacional de Sociologia
Year 2017
Department SUSOZ
Volume 75
Issue 4
Page From e077,
Language englisch
Keywords Community energy; Energy cooperatives; Public service utilities; Renewable energy; Social entrepreneurship; Social movements
UFZ wide themes RU6;
Abstract An increasing number of community energy projects have emerged recently, reflecting diverse sociotechnical configurations in the energy sector. This article is based on an empirical study examining different types of community energy projects such as energy cooperatives, public service utilities and other entrepreneurially oriented initiatives across the European Union. Based on an in-depth analysis of three case studies, the article aims to introduce a social entrepreneurship perspective when discussing the relationship between local embeddedness and different forms of organisation and ownership in community energy. The results indicate that community energy projects can expand beyond the local scale without losing their collective and democratic form of functioning and ownership. Moreover, social movements can act as catalysts for this expansion beyond the local, in a quest for wider social transformation. Social entrepreneurship may provide a suitable analytical lens to avoid the ‘local trap’ when examining different forms of organisation and ownership in renewable energy, and further explore the question of scaling.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=19801
Vancea, M., Becker, S., Kunze, C. (2017):
Local embeddedness in community energy projects. A social entrepreneurship perspective
Rev. Int. Sociol. 75 (4), e077, 10.3989/ris.2017.75.4.17.03