Kerneïs K.  “Municipalities: with great power come green responsibilities?”, Sun4all Project, European Commission, April 2024

Local governments are major players in driving the green transition, but insufficient capacities related to financing, human resources and skills could hamper the implementation of climate and energy policies in the EU. Local governments are also instrumental in ensuring that the benefits of the transition are distributed in a socially just way. Innovative energy schemes like energy communities are often seen as a good way to achieve this, although significant support, especially from municipalities, is required to make these initiatives into true socially-driven energy models.

This policy brief highlights the different roles that local governments can play to foster socially inclusive renewable energy schemes, building notably on the Sun4All experience, which exemplifies the many kinds of municipal involvement and business models that can exist when dealing with energy poverty and energy sharing schemes.

The policy brief also lays out a set of recommendations for local authorities regarding funding, policy, technical assistance and governance