Sustainability of local renewable energy projects: A comprehensible framework and an empirical analysis on two islands

Local energy projects have been associated with several benefits for the local community like social cohesion, economic gains, new skills, and environmental awareness. Yet, there is limited research on whether the projects fulfill their sustainability promises, and how the local community perceive t...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Tsagkari, Marula, Roca Jusmet, Jordi, Stephanides, Phedeas
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2022
Country:España
Institution:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repository:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:2445/190161
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/190161
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Energies renovables
Avaluació d'impacte ambiental
Desenvolupament sostenible
Renewable energy sources
Environmental impact analysis
Sustainable development
Description
Summary:Local energy projects have been associated with several benefits for the local community like social cohesion, economic gains, new skills, and environmental awareness. Yet, there is limited research on whether the projects fulfill their sustainability promises, and how the local community perceive the benefits. This research introduces a novel framework to assess the success of a local renewable energy project based on the perceptions of the local population and the initial ambitions of the projects. Using this framework two innovative local renewable energy projects are assessed; one in Tilos island in Greece and the other in El Hierro in Spain. An online questionnaire was used to assess the impact of the project on people's lives, their overall assessment of the project and their willingness to support similar future initiatives.