Policy-relevant insights for regional renewable energy deployment

De Laurentis, Carla; Pearson, Peter J.G.

Abstract

Background: The paper explores how regional actors engage with energy systems, flows and infrastructures in order to meet particular goals and offers a fine-tuned analysis of how differences arise, highlighting the policy-relevant insights that emerge. Methods: Using a novel framework, the research performs a comparative case study analysis of three regions in Italy and two of the devolved territories of the UK, Wales and Scotland, drawing on interviews and documentary analysis. Results: The paper shows that acknowledging the socio-materialities of renewable energy allows a fine-tuned analysis of how institutions, governance and infrastructure can enable/constrain energy transitions and policy effectiveness at local and regional levels. The heuristic adopted highlights (i) the institutions that matter for renewable energy and their varied effects on regional renewable energy deployment; (ii) the range of agencies involved in strategically establishing, contesting and reproducing institutions, expectations, visions and infrastructure as renewable energy deployment unfolds at the regional level and (iii) the nature and extent of infrastructure requirements for and constraints on renewable energy delivery and how they affect the regional capacity to shape infrastructure networks and facilitate renewable energy deployment. The paper shows how the regions investigated developed their institutional and governance capacity and made use of targets, energy visions and spatial planning to promote renewable energy deployment. It shows that several mediating factors emerge from examining the interactions between regional physical resource endowments and energy infrastructure renewal and expansion. The analysis leads to policy-relevant insights into what makes for renewable energy deployment. Conclusion: The paper contributes to research that demonstrates the role of institutional variations and governance as foundations for geographical differences in the adoption of renewable energy, and carries significant implications for policy thinking and implementation. It shows why and how policy-makers need to be more effective in balancing the range of goals/interests for renewable energy deployment with the peculiarities and specificities of the regional contexts and their infrastructures. The insights presented help to explain how energy choices and outcomes are shaped in particular places, how differences arise and operate in practice, and how they need to be taken into account in policy design, policy-making and implementation.

Citation

De Laurentis, C., & Pearson, P. J. (2021). Policy-relevant insights for regional renewable energy deployment. Energy, Sustainability and Society, 11(1), Article 11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13705-021-00295-4

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 28, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Jun 6, 2021
• Publication Date: 2021-06
• Deposit Date: Jun 13, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 15, 2022
• Journal: Energy, Sustainability and Society
• Electronic ISSN: 2192-0567
• Publisher: BioMed Central
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 11
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: 11
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13705-021-00295-4
• Keywords: Renewable energy; Materiality; Regions; Italy; UK; Renewable energy policy
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/9642283
• Publisher URL: https://energsustainsoc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13705-021-00295-4