Regional Capital in the Energy Transition: How to Fill the Sociological Vacuum in the Polish Energy Sector

Maria Nawojczyk (), Łukasz Afeltowicz () and Radosław Tyrała ()
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Maria Nawojczyk: AGH University of Krakow
Łukasz Afeltowicz: AGH University of Krakow
Radosław Tyrała: AGH University of Krakow

A chapter in Energy Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, Innovation and Financing, 2025, pp 175-193 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Energy communities are gaining particular importance in energy transition literature and policies. However, there are many indications that these socio-technical arrangements have little to do with how social sciences understand communities. An example of a country where the community dimension of energy initiatives is systematically removed is Poland. This is due to several government policies and how the energy sector is structured. We explain the situation in which civic activities in the energy sector are being displaced in terms of a sociological vacuum. We explain why meso-level, community-based energy initiatives are almost non-existent in Poland. We also show an extremely positive case where a genuine energy community was created: Czorsztyn. This community comes into being using a rather unique resource, which is the regional capital. This capital was used thanks to the activities of brokers who were involved not only in economic and political activities but also in social entrepreneurial action.

Keywords: Regional capital; Energy communities; Energy transition; Sociological vacuum; Social entrepreneurship (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-031-80001-6_9

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-80001-6_9

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