Community characteristics and their influence on community renewable energy projects: A case study of Cang Dong Village, Hainan, China

This thesis examines the characteristics of a community that positively influence the success of a community renewable energy project. As the first stage of a two-stage inductive research process, a review of relevant bodies of literature results in the development of 5 characteristics of a community that---based on the literature---have the potential to positively affect the success of a community renewable energy project. Those characteristics are: a large stock of social capital and a strong sense of community; effective leadership from local government and local organizations; past experience with cooperation and innovation, and access to technical resources; economic perceptions and realities; and biophysical resources appropriate to the technologies being used.;As a result of the case study, this thesis concludes with an outline of a general framework that could be used to evaluate the suitability of a community for a community renewable energy project. This outline is presented acknowledging the exploratory nature of this research and follows the need for more research on this topic. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...