Decentralising energy: comparing the drivers and influencers of projects led by public, private, community and third sector actors

The IPCC’s most recent reports have highlighted the substantial andmultifaceted challenges posed by climate change (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC], 2014). One important strategy in climate change mitigation is carbon emission reduction within the energy supply sector, which accounts for 38% of UK CO2 emissions (Department of Energy and Climate Change [DECC], 2014), and 35% globally (IPCC, 2014). Therefore, the IPCC calls for ‘a fundamental transformation of the energy supply system, including the long-term substitution of unabated fossil fuel conversion technologies by low-GHG (greenhouse gas) alternatives’ (p. 4).