Formation and Development of Bottom-Up Energy Models in the Polycentric Electricity System of the EU-27

The electricity system of the European Union (EU) transitions from a largely centralised system dominated by large-scale, fossil fuel or nuclear powerplants to a more decentralised system based on renewable energies. This changing energy system in the EU’s multi-level governance structure can be described as polycentric. With the Clean Energy Package, the EU has introduced “energy communities” in order to offset its carbon footprint and involve citizens in the energy sector. Energy communities form part of what we call here “bottom-up energy models”. They have been existing in several EU member states in various forms and in different numbers even before the Clean Energy Package. There are many studies investigating single or small samples of countries and identifying factors that have had major incluence on the form and size of bottom-up energy models in that respective countries. Studies that compare larger sets of countries are seldom. We present results from a metaanalysis of literature on bottom-up energy models in EU-27 countries (and beyond). We use a refined version of Ostrom et al.’s Socio-Ecological (and Technical) System Framework and insights from historical institutionalism to define relevant variables and the coding scheme. As a result, we identify to what extent and how (changing) national policies have influenced and are influencing this type of local action in the EU’s polycentric energy system.