Renewable energy is booming in Extremadura and is benefiting regional development. Large-scale solar energy installations have the lion’s share of renewable energy deployment. These include some of the biggest photovoltaic (PV) parks in Europe. Extremadura is a good example of the benefits and challenges of rapid and large-scale deployment of renewable energy in rural areas. The deployment of installations has generated a large number of temporary jobs in the construction sector, although long-term jobs in maintenance and manufacturing activities are relatively few. Some companies have been able to specialise in production connected to the renewable energy supply chain.
The report mainly finds out three points: i) Predominantly, rural regions can engage in ambitious renewable energy deployment plans. ii) Renewable energy development can bring some benefits in terms of revenues for local communities and employment creation, but there is a risk of generating very high expectations. iii) The focus on large-scale renewable energy deployment projects (i.e. attracting investment) should not undermine small-scale projects involving close co-operation with local communities.
Puglia is the leading region in Italy in renewable energy production. Renewable energy deployment in rural Puglia has contributed to rural development, though not on the scale anticipated, and not without generating distortions in the rural economy.
Abruzzo’s municipalities show high degree of participation in the Covenant of Mayors, the European network which aims to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency initiatives at the municipal level.
The energy sector is a pillar of Québec’s regional competitiveness, and the province is also making investments to improve its specialisation in renewable energy.
This case study concentrates on the island of Lolland in the Region Zealand in Denmark, home to 46,000 people. It used to be a manufacturing and agricultural powerhouse due to its shipbuilding industry and intensive sugar beet production, supported by Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) subsidies.