Local Energy Initiatives a Success Story - A case analysis of interactions at the local level in Schleswig-Holstein
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2025-06-19
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en
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Climate change is accelerating, requiring urgent and comprehensive responses (Shukla et al., 2022). Electrification and decentralisation of energy systems are key strategies in the energy transition. One promising approach is citizens’ wind energy initiatives (Bürgerwindenergieinitiativen), which are especially prevalent in Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany. Despite their success, these initiatives currently operate based on local intuition rather than scientific analysis. This study aims to systematise these practices by asking: What interactions between local stakeholders make these initiatives effective and sustainable, and how are policy changes influencing them?
Using open-ended interviews, desk research, and a combined theoretical framework—the Policy Arrangement Approach (Liefferink, 2006) and the triangle of social acceptance (Wüstenhagen et al., 2007)—six key factors were identified: local exchange, public participation, financing frameworks, value chain creation, the Bürgerenergiefond, and key individuals. These elements collectively stabilise the policy arrangement supporting citizens’ wind initiatives. Crucially, the mutually reinforcing relationship between social acceptance and transparent information-sharing about planning, environmental measures, and finances strengthens the system. However, recent EU policy changes, such as adjustments to feed-in tariffs (§21 EEG), threaten this stability. To ensure a just, decentralised, and widely supported energy transition, such locally embedded and participatory models must be preserved and replicated.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen