Background

   The expanding use of renewable energy can help prevent global warming and reduce air pollution. Especially, community-based renewable power derived from local initiatives (community energy) is expected to provide an alternative energy resource and serve as a catalyst for rural development. Small-scale hydropower introduced earlier than other renewable energy in Japan. Between the 1950s and 1960s, local communities became active in the construction of small hydropower plants, many in the Chugoku region. These plants were operated by villages, with profits returned to the communities for rural development. This same concept has recently been advocated as community energy.

Objectives

   This study considers community energy projects in the Chugoku region to illuminate what conditions have enabled the studied organizations to succeed in securing resources needed for the operation of their renewable energy plants.