Community energy initiatives as drivers for degrowth? An empirical investigation of their alignment with five imperatives of degrowth

In view of the emerging social, environmental and economic crises, the degrowth movement questions the current growth paradigm. The fundamental criticism put forth by degrowth is that unlimited growth cannot be sustained within the planetary boundaries. Citizen-owned and democratically controlled Community Energy Initiatives (CEI) engage since many years in the sustainable energy transition. This paper investigates to what extent they align with the degrowth movement. Drawing from an inventory of over 10000 European Community Energy Initiatives, we go beyond the few case studies and theoretical think-pieces. We test potential alignment by empirically investigating indicators for the following degrowth imperatives: (1) Reduce environmental impact, (2) Re-orient economic priorities, (3) Reduce inequality (4) Foster democratic decision making, and (5) Re-localize production and consumption. The results suggest a strong alignment with the environmental impact reduction, democratic decision making, and re-localized production and consumption imperatives, while the alignment with the economic re-orientation and inequality reduction imperatives varies considerably across countries and types of initiatives. • Exploring 10000 Community Energy Initiatives shows varying alignment with degrowth • Community Energy Initiatives locally produce and consume renewable energy • Community Energy initiatives may prioritize financial profit or community benefit • Especially smaller Community Energy Initiatives cultivate participative governance • Some Community Energy initiatives struggle with ensuring an inclusive member base