Contentious narratives and innovative action in the heat transition: insights from municipalities in Brandenburg

Germán Bersalli, Yves Perillard and Franziska Mey

Chapter 13 in The Social Acceptance of Renewable Energy Projects, 2026, pp 276-297 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Heating is a crucial dimension of the transition to a climate-neutral energy system, yet Germany's shift to zero-emission heating has been slow, particularly in phasing out fossil fuels and adopting renewable alternatives. Natural gas and oil remain dominant in decentralized heating systems. To accelerate progress, the German government introduced two key legislative measures in 2023, aiming to align the heat transition with the country's 2045 net-zero emissions target. Given the localized nature of heating needs, municipalities play a vital role in decarbonizing buildings and implementing national policies, yet research on their role remains limited, particularly in regions like Brandenburg. This chapter examines the enablers and barriers of municipal heat transitions, focusing on pioneering examples in Brandenburg. Drawing on a media analysis and two case studies, we contribute to the socio-technical transitions literature on legitimacy, public support, and stakeholder participation. Our findings reveal that municipalities, through their local utilities, can advance the heat transition despite prevailing negative narratives. Key factors driving progress include strong local political support, transparent communication on heating costs, and active stakeholder engagement. By addressing technical, economic, and socio-political challenges and leveraging successful examples such as Prenzlau and Hennigsdorf, other municipalities can accelerate their heat transitions and contribute to Germany's broader sustainability goals.

Keywords: Heating transition; Energy policy; Germany; Public participation; Renewable energy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035348749
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.elgaronline.com/doi/10.4337/9781035348756.00021 (application/pdf)
Our link check indicates that this URL is bad, the error code is: 403 Forbidden

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:elg:eechap:24041_13

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.e-elgar.com

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Chapters from Edward Elgar Publishing
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Jack Sweeney ().