Albatross, Colibri or Eagle? How National Differences in Policy Implementation Shape the Potential of Renewable Energy Communities

Type
conference poster
Date Issued
2026-09-08
Author(s)
Abstract
Overview
Renewable energy communities (RECs) enable to share renewable energy directly among a group of consumers, producers, prosumers, and storage systems. Despite the framework set by the Renewable Energy Directive REDII (Directive (EU) 2018/2001, 2018) and the Electricity Market Directive EMD (Directive (EU) 2019/944, 2024), European states differ considerably in how they adopt and implement RECs. We need to understand those differences and their origins so that scholars and policymakers can draw lessons from cross-country comparisons. Researchers have identified diverse REC concepts (Dudka et al., 2023) and the varying development across Europe (Inês et al., 2020; Neij et al., 2025). Yet, the mechanisms driving country-specific implementation choices remain insufficiently understood.
This paper asks: Why do national legislation and political perspectives on RECs differ between countries operating under similar regulatory frameworks? Using a qualitative inductive approach, we analyse documents of the legislative process involving stakeholders and interest groups in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. These countries share a comparable economic and regulatory context, with Switzerland also being subjected and influenced by EU-level policy and markets. Still, the countries diverge in their progress of REC implementation. At one end of the spectrum, we find Austrian legislators advocating RECs, stimulating participatory projects, and thus advancing social acceptance. At the other end, German legislation emphasises potential pain points due to RECs’ complexity and potential for litigation. We conclude between-country differences to be rooted in a country-specific mix of justification applied by stakeholders and the interested public. Our work thus advances the understanding of how diverse REC policies and perceptions are shaped and how they influence the potential of RECs.
Keywords
renewable energy communities
energy transition
renewable energy
policy analysis
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Event Title
19th IAEE European Conference
Event Location
Munich, Germany
Event Date
September 6–10, 2026
URL
Subject(s)

social sciences

political science

responsibility and su...

other research area

Division(s)

RISE - Institute of R...

File(s)
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20260904 Poster Fauster REC IAEE.pdf

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Fauster(2026)-Abstract_Implementation_RECs.pdf

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