Publication Date
Fall 2025
Abstract
The shift to renewable energies has become a critical means of addressing the climate crisis. Community Energy (CE) has emerged as a ‘bottom-up’ transition to achieve decarbonization within a localized environment. The aim of this paper is to compare the motivations and framings of rural CE projects in the United States and European Union. The paper will compare the case of Loess Wind Farm, located in Rock Port, Missouri, with the Cedillo Solar Community in Caceres, Spain to determine how sociotechnical visions are shaped by the challenges facing communities. The elements of sociotechnical visions- meanings, knowings, doings, and organizings- as developed by Chilvers & Longhurst (2019) will be used to analyze the variance in how participation is impacted by economic and depopulation concerns as well as institutional orders. The analysis contributes to understanding the potential for community energies to succeed without government support while also highlighting the importance of framing issues to encourage clean energy adoption in rural communities. Future research must pay greater attention to the growing potential of CE in the United States to become a means of decarbonizing the country.
Disciplines
Life Sciences | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Litchtenfeld, Belinda, "Motives and Community Energy: What Determines Participation in the U.S. and E.U." (2025). Portugal: Sustainability and Environmental Justice. 12.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/por/12