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REShare - Benefit-Sharing Mechanisms in Renewable Energy

Project Description


The 2009 Directive on the promotion of renewable energy sources (RES) sets targets for all Member States, so as to ensure that the EU will reach a 20% share of energy from renewable sources by 2020. To meet this ambitious target, there will be a need to establish large-scale renewable energy projects throughout Europe in coming years. However, such projects often face resistance from the local communities where they are planned to be established.

Indeed, when planning for a project which will harvest a renewable energy source, there are legal, technological and financial aspects which need to be dealt with. A bottleneck that is particularly hard to tackle is the issue of social acceptance. RES projects may affect local communities, and therefore invoke a reaction, one which is usually against the project in that specific location.

The European Commission (DG ENER) therefore launched a study on how to increase local acceptance of such projects. The study was undertaken by a consortium consisting of RebelGroup Advisory (the Netherlands, leading), COWI (Denmark) and ISIS (Italy). The consortium also drew on the academic knowhow of the Erasmus University / Drift Centre.

The purpose of the study was to identify organisational models and best practices on how large scale renewable energy projects can share economic or other benefits created by the projects with the local communities, e.g. through local co-ownership, (financial) compensation mechanisms or creation of green jobs. These best practices can be accessed via a web-based database.

REShare gives insight in how various methods of Benefit Sharing Mechanisms (BSM) can be applied to create a basis of acceptance in local communities. A schematic overview is given below, linking the BSM to exemplary projects in our best practices database. General critical factors when introducing BSM:

  • Focus on local needs, an urban community will differ greatly from a rural one.
  • Look for a good match between the Benefit Sharing Mechanism used, the background of the project and the developing company skills.
  • Communicate extensively and clearly with the community what your plans are at an early stage, and listen to what they have to say in response.
  • Be clear about your intentions when it comes to the Benefit Sharing Mechanism applied and Monitor the impact.
  • When using financial Benefit Sharing Mechanisms ( s.a. co-ownership), be aware of the possibilities to use this as a financial inflow, which can increase the scale of the project.
  • When using financial Benefit Sharing Mechanisms (s.a. compensation) be careful with individual compensation that has now impact on community acceptance.


A final report was published in January 2011 and can be downloaded here.

 

For more information on the project:
www.reshare.nu

Public Acceptance in the press:
European Energy Review, 16.05.11: How to win public acceptance for green energy: The case of Samsų
BBC News, 30.03.2009: El Hierro, The Energy Self-Sufficient Island (VIDEO)