PRODUCING REGIONS: RENEWABLE ENERGY—A CATALYST FOR COOPERATION, LOCAL DEVELOPMENT… AND ATTRACTIVENESS?
Format
Round table
Dec 10, 2026 — 02:00 pm - 3:00 PMSalle OURANOS (Hall B3)
Description
Regions are no longer just energy consumers—they are becoming producers. Solar, wind, anaerobic digestion, district heating networks… Beyond providing local, carbon-free energy, renewable energy can become a powerful driver of cooperation, economic development, and regional resilience.
Collective self-consumption, citizen-led projects, and short energy supply chains… New models are bringing local governments, businesses, and residents together around a common goal: to produce and consume locally, better control energy costs, and keep a larger share of the value created within the region. These initiatives help sustain economic activities and essential services. They also foster new forms of cooperation, sometimes extending beyond administrative boundaries.
However, this momentum faces constraints: connection capacities that are sometimes saturated, a fragile economic balance, complex arrangements, and lengthy project timelines. How can these obstacles be overcome, and how can energy planning and regional development be better coordinated? What models of governance and value sharing enable local stakeholders to benefit sustainably from this production?
And above all, is energy becoming a factor that attracts businesses and residents, at the risk of pitting regions against one another? Or does it primarily serve to consolidate existing activities and services?
Feedback and diverse perspectives from stakeholders in community-led energy initiatives, networks, and regional support programs will help identify the strategies that work in practice and the partnerships that need to be built.
