Northern lights of energy democracy: How community energy drives Northern Europe’s green transition: An introduction to the Special Focus

This Special Focus examines energy communities (ECs) as part of a broader transition in Northern Europe. Rather than assuming that ECs are automatically democratic, inclusive, or socially beneficial, the papers analyse the institutional, political, and spatial conditions under which more democratic and just energy transitions can emerge. Across Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, and Sweden, with Germany included for comparison, they show that outcomes depend on planning capacity, regulatory design, ownership structures, grid regimes, and the recognition of local and Indigenous claims. The collection shifts the discussion from celebratory accounts of community energy to a more conditional understanding of energy democracy: as a concept that must be organised, negotiated, and protected in practice.