Energy storage refers to technologies that capture one form of energy (usually electrical) when generated and store it as another (chemical, thermal, mechanical or electrochemical) for release when required [1]. Storage is essential for enabling the use of variable renewable energy (vRE) such as solar and wind due to its intermittent nature.
Crowdfunding is where several individuals contribute small sums of money in order to fund a project. Given the low risk that each person takes on, crowdfunding can be an innovative financing tool, including for local renewable energy (RE) projects [1]. They can also help involve the local community in various ways, increasing buy-in and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the project [2]. This solution addresses the use of crowdfunding for the local energy transition, and how local and regional governments (LRGs) can take advantage of it while protecting the best interests of their communities.
Multilevel governance is an approach to governance from the national to local level which provides a platform for fruitful interaction, joint planning and coordination, all of which are essential to the mutual reinforcement of approaches for addressing climate change, sustainable development, implementation and reporting.
