An Exploratory Study On Energy Sustainability
Indicators For Local Energy Planning
Author(s)
A. R. Neves & V. Leal
Abstract
Energy challenges of today encompass a paradigm shift, moving from
centralized systems focused on energy production to a decentralized
management approach. Local authorities have an important role to play in
promoting sustainable energy systems. Initiatives emerging in the European
Union and in other parts of the world, such as the Covenant of Mayors or the
Clinton Climate Initiative, stress the fact that cities are important actors for
implementing sustainable energy policies and their actions must be encouraged
and supported. However, current processes of energy planning and assessment at
the local level are still lacking a common and systematic methodology for the
evaluation of energy sustainability. The development of energy and climate
change policies, as well as the implementation of sustainable energy action
plans, stresses the need for monitoring and reporting the progress towards
sustainable energy goals.
This paper presents a review on how energy is included in the main sets of
sustainable development indicators and discusses its commonalities and
differences. It also addresses the issues of applicability and measurability at the
local level, since most of the energy indicators were designed to be used at the
national level. It then attempts to identify existing gaps in the evaluation of local
energy sustainability, and ends up with a proposal of a core set of indicators that
can be used to assess in a comprehensive way the performance of local energy
systems.
The local level set of indicators proposed seeks to provide insights to local
decision-makers by measuring and tracking progress towards the several
dimensions of sustainability in what regards the local energy system, and its
management structure.
Keywords: energy sustainability indicators, local level, energy planning.
Keywords
energy sustainability indicators, local level, energy planning.
Related Book
Other papers in this volume
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