Autonomous Energy Regions as a Proposed Choice of Selecting Selected EU Regions—Aspects of Their Creation and Management

Piotr Maśloch, Grzegorz Maśloch, Łukasz Kuźmiński, Henryk Wojtaszek and Ireneusz Miciuła
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Piotr Maśloch: Management Institute Management and Command Department, War Studies University, 00-910 Warsaw, Poland
Grzegorz Maśloch: Department of Local Government Economy and Financing, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, 02-554 Warsaw, Poland
Łukasz Kuźmiński: Department of Process Management, Management Department, Wroclaw University of Economics, 53-345 Wroclaw, Poland
Ireneusz Miciuła: Department of Sustainable Finance and Capital Markets, Faculty of Economics, Finance and Management, University of Szczecin, 70-453 Szczecin, Poland

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 23, 1-27

Abstract: There is a high demand for energy production, which is dependent on energy consumption and input. This demand affects socioeconomic development and quality of life. However, the lack of an innovative formal, legal, and organizational structure regarding public space in the European Union (EU) is problematic; one solution could be preparing and implementing grid services as part of distributed energy solutions (based on local and regional renewable resources), and involving local public, private, and profitable entities. Autonomous energy regions (AREs) are a response to this type of problem, as they can contribute to the creation of organizational and legal tools that counteract the marginalization of crisis areas, where undesirable socioeconomic phenomena intensify (and the conditions and management of the natural environments deteriorate). Investments in energy infrastructure based on distributed energy (mainly renewable energy sources) will be a tool for socioeconomic changes in affected areas. In terms of practical considerations in the energy field (i.e., keywords, barriers to energy consumption, and access to it), it is important to formulate recommendations regarding the creation, management, identification, and designation of autonomous energy regions (AREs) in the EU. In this case, postal questionnaires and a taxonomic method (Hellwig’s method) were used. It is worth emphasizing that the creation of AREs is a modern requirement in connection with global CO 2 emissions. Sustainable low-emission economies, according to the conducted research, may be introduced to the entire European Union. The lack of proposals for direction of regional development, in terms of autonomous energy regions, was indicated in this paper. There is a need to formulate specific recommendations regarding the possibility of creating and managing autonomous energy regions (AREs) in the European Union. Fortunately, there are natural, organizational, and social opportunities to begin this process. For example, local authorities may become leaders in creating a network of connections in emerging AREs, and communities might willingly make the effort to co-create AREs.

Keywords: autonomous energy regions; sustainable development; EU; governance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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