Carbon neutral, fair and sustainable energy communities in South Ostrobothnia

The decrease in the use of energy peat has caused a situation where the replacement energy should be covered by renewable energy in local communities in South Ostrobothnia. The decline of energy peat causes financial losses and partial risks to security of energy supply, as the peat industry has increased energy self-sufficiency and brought many kinds of economic activity in rural areas. The changing situation is indeed challenging, because there are many renewable energy production possibilities and they all have slightly different regional economic effects compared to the use of energy peat. The effects after the energy transition depend on e.g. both the availability of renewable energy and its suitability for local conditions. When aiming for a just transition, we should find such forms of energy that replace peat, whose regional economic effects would be at least as good, if not even better, than energy peat. In this way, the acceptability of the green transition at the community level can be promoted. The project investigates the profitability and regional economic effects of the best communal renewable energy production models. In addition, challenges and bottlenecks related to the transition are identified and further recommendations for implementing the transition are drawn up through model calculations. Bioenergy and wind and solar energy, as well as the social justice of the green transition, are under special investigation.