European Distributed Renewable Energy Case Studies

This chapter deals with the importance and progress of renewable energy in Europe following three paths. First, the chapter investigates renewable energy in the frame of the so-called anticipatory experiences (AEs) of energy transition, ie, some case studies at the local level where the transition towards a low-carbon society (or, at least, some of its features) was already implemented; second, it illustrates some national experiences with renewable energy, taking into account two important European countries – Germany and Italy – both ascribing a considerable importance to renewable energy albeit with some different choices; third, in a transversal approach it addresses the lessons learned from a decade's worth of European Union (EU) energy transition efforts, highlighting how climate change mitigation strategies, energy costs and market-oriented policies will create a new set of implications for EU energy security.