Place-Based Strategies for Energy Transitions in Apulia: Pilot Experiences, Limitations and Prospects

The energy transition debate is often focused on the search for efficient solutions replacing fossil fuels with renewable resources in the name of the decarbonization imperative. Policies for ecological transition are thus mainly informed by a technocratic and market-driven approach connected to ecological modernization, which may generate a new geography of social and territorial inequalities connected to resource grabbing processes at the local level. A radical change in the approach is thus needed, leading to the promotion of territorial strategies combining the development of the local energy potential with the enhancement of the patrimonial structure of the territory and the recovery of a proactive role for local actors. This paper tries to highlight potential and limitations of this turn by analyzing the Apulian context, which shows, on the one hand, pervasive processes of land grabbing for the exploitation of renewable energy sources, while hosting, on the other hand, interesting experiences of local energy cooperation.