Integrating community development in large-scale wind- and solar energy schemes enable sustainable energy transitions in African countries. Drawing on lessons from South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement (REIPPP) Programme, the research project Tendering Sustainable Energy Transitions (TENTRANS) by UNEP DTU Partnership, Centre for Complex Systems in Transition and Danish Institute for International Studies make recommendations for development cooperation and investments to consider three kinds of support:
1) Incorporate community benefits in regulatory frameworks for public procurement of private generation of renewable energy,
2) Develop practice frameworks for community engagement in the renewable energy sector.
3) Enable community co-ownership of renewable energy generation and democratic governance of benefit sharing arrangements.
