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Energising the Polis? Analysing transition challenges to energy communities in Greece

Pantazis, Konstantinos and Busch, Henner LU orcid (2026) In Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions 58.
Abstract

The transition to a more decentralised energy system, by diversifying energy supply, and expanding renewable energy, is a declared EU objective as is evident from the Clean Energy for All Package. The EU has identified Energy Communities as one of the organisational forms that can facilitate this transition. Greece is a critical case within Europe. Research indicates that Energy Communities could help address energy poverty, drive decarbonisation of the energy sector, and contribute to rural development by tapping into the great potential for renewable energy generation in the country. Despite this high potential, Energy Communities are far less widespread in Greece than in many other EU countries. We investigate the policy challenges... (More)

The transition to a more decentralised energy system, by diversifying energy supply, and expanding renewable energy, is a declared EU objective as is evident from the Clean Energy for All Package. The EU has identified Energy Communities as one of the organisational forms that can facilitate this transition. Greece is a critical case within Europe. Research indicates that Energy Communities could help address energy poverty, drive decarbonisation of the energy sector, and contribute to rural development by tapping into the great potential for renewable energy generation in the country. Despite this high potential, Energy Communities are far less widespread in Greece than in many other EU countries. We investigate the policy challenges Energy Communities encounter in Greece. We base our analysis on policy scoping and interviews. We find challenges in all five domains of policy: Directionality, Demand Articulation, Experimentation, Policy Learning & Coordination and Justice. We find that the concept of Energy Communities is oftentimes co-opted by commercial players. Further, a lack of a coherent vision for Energy Communities in Greece and failing policy coordination inhibit a policy mix that can help a just rollout of the concept, leading to a situation where Energy Communities do not deliver the anticipated community benefits.

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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Community energy, Energy communities, Greece, Renewable energy, Transition policy challenges
in
Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions
volume
58
article number
101055
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:105016318610
ISSN
2210-4224
DOI
10.1016/j.eist.2025.101055
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
8b60161b-ef84-4fb6-b739-e9702b5fbb25
date added to LUP
2025-10-01 15:53:46
date last changed
2025-10-14 08:59:28
@article{8b60161b-ef84-4fb6-b739-e9702b5fbb25,
  abstract     = {{<p>The transition to a more decentralised energy system, by diversifying energy supply, and expanding renewable energy, is a declared EU objective as is evident from the Clean Energy for All Package. The EU has identified Energy Communities as one of the organisational forms that can facilitate this transition. Greece is a critical case within Europe. Research indicates that Energy Communities could help address energy poverty, drive decarbonisation of the energy sector, and contribute to rural development by tapping into the great potential for renewable energy generation in the country. Despite this high potential, Energy Communities are far less widespread in Greece than in many other EU countries. We investigate the policy challenges Energy Communities encounter in Greece. We base our analysis on policy scoping and interviews. We find challenges in all five domains of policy: Directionality, Demand Articulation, Experimentation, Policy Learning &amp; Coordination and Justice. We find that the concept of Energy Communities is oftentimes co-opted by commercial players. Further, a lack of a coherent vision for Energy Communities in Greece and failing policy coordination inhibit a policy mix that can help a just rollout of the concept, leading to a situation where Energy Communities do not deliver the anticipated community benefits.</p>}},
  author       = {{Pantazis, Konstantinos and Busch, Henner}},
  issn         = {{2210-4224}},
  keywords     = {{Community energy; Energy communities; Greece; Renewable energy; Transition policy challenges}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions}},
  title        = {{Energising the Polis? Analysing transition challenges to energy communities in Greece}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2025.101055}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.eist.2025.101055}},
  volume       = {{58}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}