Local entrepreneurship and local ownership as drivers for renewable energy – learning from the case of Samsø
by Birgitte Gregersen, Department of Business Studies, Aalborg University
Abstract :
In 1997 the Danish government announced a competition for local municipalities or islands to propose a realistic plan for how to convert to 100 percent renewable energy within a period of 10 years. The idea behind the competition was to investigate how renewable energy could be implemented within a limited geographical area using existing technology. Local involvement by different actors was considered an important aspect as well.
The small Danish island, Samsø, with 4300 inhabitants, won the competition. Today, in 2008, the island has a 100 percent renewable energy supply mainly based on wind energy and the island has become an exhibition window for renewable energy technology and carbon neutral society. The presentation will discuss main ingredients for success in this case: a common vision; local entrepreneurship, competences and expertise; economic incentives; political support and support from strong local coalitions; local democratic participation and local ownership.
