The Growth of Renewables in Municipalities: Factors Influencing the Decentralised Energy Transition in North Rhine-Westphalia

As the municipal level has a vital role to play in the success of the energy transition, this study examines the extent to which local factors are influencing the decentralised push to extend the use of renewables. Based on data from NRW’s urban and rural municipalities between 2010 and 2020, it examines the politica l affiliationof the local administration’s leader (the mayor), its financial situation (municipal debt) and the activity of the construction industry within its boundaries. The results show that, on average, cities and other municipalities that elected a „left-wing“ mayor in the 2009/2010 local government elections expanded the use of renewable energy less than those with „conservative“ leaders. Financial difficulties in the public budget at the beginning of the period were associated with weak growth in renewables, while municipalities with brisk construction and investment activity tended to achieve more. The results provide empirical findings on the significance of the framework conditions for the energy transition at the local level.