REScoops acting as intermediaries, influencing the scaling of energy communities; a multi-case analysis of five pilots in Europe

There is increasing scholarly attention to the scaling of energy communities (EC). Intermediaries have an important role here. Energy communities themselves, especially in the form of renewable energy cooperatives (REScoops), can take on this role very well. This paper addresses the question how REScoops, acting as intermediaries, influence the scaling of ECs. A longitudinal multi-case research design is adopted to answer this question. Five cases of EC pilots in different EU countries receiving intermediary support from REScoops were selected and researched over a three-year period. Data collection involved interviews, text documents, a quantitative longitudinal survey, and pilot project data. Results show that EC organisations use various forms of scaling: scaling-up, -out, and -deep. Regarding REScoops acting as an intermediary influencing the scaling of ECs, the analysis presents moderate support for positive impact. The relationship appears positive for scaling-deep and fairly positive for scaling-out. For scaling-up the relationship there was mostly within-case evidence. Scaling-up appears related to contextual factors. A fairly challenging context seems correlated to ECs deploying scaling-up strategies, using REScoop intermediary agency with the aim of changing key institutional structures, regulatory and policy frameworks that have a negative impact on ECs. This paper ends with suggestions for future work.