Ambitious government and utility targets for renewable energy as part of a ‘low carbon transition’ mean that the winds and waves of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland have a new found value. The region is becoming a site for large renewable energy projects, as well as opening up opportunities for local communities to develop … Continue reading »
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GI briefing 18: The Rise of Citizen Power Plants in Germany
The Rise of Citizen Power Plants in Germany: How do they emerge and spread? Anna Schreuer reports on her research into citizen power in Germany which provides an informative comparison with CISE’s work on community energy in the UK and Finland. Here she provides an introduction to citizen power in Germany and discusses its emergence … Continue reading »
Journal article: Connecting regimes and practices in innovation for sustainability
The multilevel perspective and social practice theory have emerged as competing approaches for understanding the complexity of sociotechnical change. The relationship between these two different camps has, on occasions, been antagonistic, but we argue that they are not mutually exclusive. Indeed, through empirical analysis of two different case studies of sustainability innovation, we show that … Continue reading »
Book chapter: Exploring niche development processes among community energy initiatives
Sabine Hielscher, Gill Seyfang and Adrian Smith from the CISE project have a chapter in a new book on Innovations in Sustainable Consumption. Hielscher, S., Seyfang, G. and Smith, A. (2013) ‘Grassroots Innovations for Sustainable Energy: Exploring niche development processes among community energy initiatives’ in Cohen, M., Brown, H. and Vergragt, P. (eds)Innovations in Sustainable … Continue reading »
Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust: An Innovation History
January 2013, Sabine Hielscher. The Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust is a company limited by guarantee with a charitable status, consisting of an elected board of directors to represent the Isle of Gigha residents. Since its inception, the Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust has created three subsidiary trading companies, which operate the island’s commercial activities … Continue reading »
Carbon Rationing Action Groups: An Innovation History
January 2013, Sabine Hielscher. Carbon Rationing Action Groups (CRAGs) are community-based groups who agree to reduce their carbon emissions through the creation of carbon targets. The members of each CRAG decide a carbon target per person at the beginning of the ‘carbon year’ and the price per kg of carbon. Over the year each member … Continue reading »
Dyfi Solar Club: An Innovation History
December 2012, Tom Hargreaves. The Dyfi Solar Club ran from 1998 until 2003, initially part-funded by a broader European Commission funded grant designed to promote community-based renewable energy in the Dyfi valley, Powys, mid-Wales. As a member of the National Network of Solar Clubs, the Dyfi Solar Club sought to make solar hot water heating … Continue reading »
Hyde Farm Climate Action Network: An Innovation History
December 2012, Mari Martiskainen. Hyde Farm Climate Action Network (CAN) was set up in 2007 to raise awareness climate change and energy consumption across households in the Hyde Farm estate, Balham, London. The Hyde Farm estate consists of 1,800 residential houses built between 1896 and 1916. The majority of these houses are of Edwardian character, … Continue reading »
Journal article: Mapping community currencies for sustainable development
Parallel sustainable monetary systems are being developed by civil society groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), informed by ecological economics perspectives on development, value, economic scale and growth, and responding to the unsustainability of current global financial systems. These parallel systems of exchange (or community currencies) are designed to promote sustainable development by localising economic development, … Continue reading »
Bristol Green Doors: An Innovation History
November 2012, Tom Hargreaves. Bristol Green Doors is a community interest company that promotes energy efficiency through retrofit measures on existing homes. It does this by organising eco-open homes events in Bristol, in which homes that have already undertaken retrofits – such as installing various forms of insulation or microgeneration systems – are opened … Continue reading »
