Decisions about the siting of energy infrastructure have traditionally prioritized factors such as cost, access to transportation corridors, and proximity to existing infrastructure. While community input has sometimes been considered, it has not always been a principal component of the decision-making process. In some cases, this has contributed to tensions between local residents and industry. In recent years, there has been growing interest—from firms, government agencies, and academic researchers—in developing more structured approaches to community engagement. In this paper, we introduce the Local Engagement, Assessment, and Planning (LEAP) Framework as a method for community engagement related to energy projects. The LEAP includes four components: 1) Structured Community Listening Sessions; 2) Project and Community Mapping; 3) Economic and Tax Impact Modeling; and 4) Communication Back to the Community. The LEAP Framework aims to enhance local capacity for informed decision-making by providing high-quality information in a transparent and accessible format to support deliberative dialogue between project developers and local community stakeholders.
Number 3
ISSN 2160-5890 (Online)
Long-run Price Transmission of Alternative Fuels
Alternative fuels have become increasingly important in the U.S. fuel market in the last few decades. While most previous literature has focused on oil, gasoline, and biofuel prices, the studies on the topic of multiple alternative fuel prices across regions were limited. Using the fuel price data from seven U.S. districts, our study investigates the horizontal price transmission between gasoline and alternative fuels, as well as the vertical price transmission between marginal costs and alternative fuels. Our analysis reveals a deeply integrated U.S. fuel market. Specifically, a 1% rise in gasoline prices corresponds to a 0.811% increase in ethanol prices and a 1.053% increase in biodiesel prices. This positive connection is further confirmed when analyzing price returns, indicating that alternative fuel prices move in tandem with their substitutes. Additionally, the examination of vertical price transmission reveals that higher marginal cost of propane is associated with rising propane prices.
The Role of Finance and Income in Energy Diversification: A Club Convergence Analysis of Asia-Pacific
The Asia-Pacific region is the world’s largest energy consumer, yet energy diversification across countries remains significantly uneven despite rising demand and renewable progress. This study examines whether energy diversification is converging in the region and how financial development and economic wealth influence this process. Using data from 40 countries between 1997 and 2021, we found that countries with initially low diversification have improved faster, and regional disparities have narrowed. However, the distribution of diversification levels reveals two distinct peaks, suggesting the presence of convergence clubs. The log-t test confirms this by rejecting full convergence and identifying two clubs: Club 1 (14 countries) with low and slightly declining diversification, and Club 2 (22 countries) with high and increasing diversification. Regional-level regression results show financial development as the strongest driver of energy diversification, followed by per capita income. At the club level, financial development consistently supports diversification, but income has mixed effects negatively associated with diversification in Club 1 and weakly positive in Club 2. These findings underscore the need for club-specific strategies, with policymakers tailoring interventions to their country’s club membership, energy diversification level, and development stage.
Spatial interdependencies and the role of PESTLE framework in shaping OECD energy transition pathways
The present study explores spatial spillover effects of PESTLE (Political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental) factors on energy transition (ET) across 31 OECD economies from 1996 to 2021. The inverse distance weight matrix (IDWM) is used for advance spatial econometrics analysis. Global Moran’s I and Local Moran’s tests confirm the presence of spatial autocorrelation. The empirical findings of a Spatial Durbin Model reveal that government policies (GP), financial inclusion (FI), human development (HD) and green technological innovations (GTI) create a positive spillover effect and accelerate the pace of energy transition (ET) in home and neighbouring economies. In contrast, ecological footprint (EF) and inflation produce a negative spillover effect and a decline in ET. The study’s insights, aligned with international accords and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 7 and 13, offer vital directions to decision-makers to strengthen the energy transition process and the challenges to a sustainable growth.
Social Acceptability and Transport: An Energy System–Optimisation-Based Analysis of the European Case
Social acceptance of low-carbon transport technologies is a crucial but frequently underrepresented dimension in energy system optimization models (ESOMs), despite its potential relevance for the design of effective decarbonization policies. This study examines the role of social acceptability in the transition of the European Union transport sector toward climate neutrality by integrating behavioral factors into the open-source ESOM TEMOA-Europe. In particular, social acceptability is represented through technology-specific hurdle rates, used as proxies for perceived risk and financing barriers, alongside assumptions on declining investment costs for low-carbon vehicle technologies. Four scenarios are developed and compared: (i) a Base scenario, (ii) a scenario with reduced hurdle rates for battery electric and fuel-cell vehicles, (iii) a CostSC scenario with lower investment costs for green truck technologies, and a Net0 scenario (iv) imposing a binding net-zero emissions constraint by 2050. The analysis evaluates these scenarios based on technology uptake, system costs, CO2 emissions, and critical raw material requirements. Results show that, in the passenger car sector, lower perceived risk can substantially accelerate electrification and achieve emissions reductions comparable to those obtained under stringent regulatory constraints, in some cases at lower overall system cost. By contrast, the freight sector appears considerably less responsive to such demand-side measures, indicating the need for stronger regulatory intervention. The findings also highlight that deep transport decarbonization implies a substantial increase in demand for critical raw materials, reinforcing the importance of complementary recycling and supply-chain policies.
Energy poverty: a transientor chronic condition?
Energy poverty remains a pressing challenge in the European Union, with Spain exhibiting one of the highest incidence rates. Despite an ambitious national strategy, over 20% of Spanish households continues to report difficulties maintaining adequate indoor temperatures. This study examines energy poverty dynamics in Spain using longitudinal data from the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) covering the period 2004–2023. We distinguish between transient and chronic energy poverty, revealing that 2.6–3.6% of households experience persistent deprivation. Vulnerability is higher among single-person and female-headed households, while education and employment significantly reduce chronic risk. By focusing on household trajectories, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of structural and temporal dimensions of energy poverty, supporting more effective policy design. Spain’s case highlights the limitations of current measures and the need for strategies addressing long-term vulnerability within a just energy transition framework.