Community power at the core of the renewable revolution: How local leadership is driving a just transition

As the world races to confront the climate crisis and phase out fossil fuels, communities across the globe are quietly leading a grassroots revolution. According to the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) International’s 2025 report titled “How Local Community Power is Central to the Renewable Energy Shift”, this revolution is not only transforming how energy is produced and consumed but also who holds power in the process.

“Community-led and community-owned renewable energy projects that are rooted in democratic governance and equitable local decision-making power play a vital role in safeguarding rights and strengthening democracy,” the report states.

From rural India to tribal lands in the U.S., local energy initiatives are proving that the shift to clean energy can—and must—be local, democratic, and just.

The WECAN report underscores how the energy transition is not simply about technology or carbon emissions. At its heart lies a deeper shift toward justice: environmental, economic, racial, and gender justice. The report urges global policymakers, funders, and advocates to place communities at the center of energy solutions.

A just transition begins at home

One of the report’s key messages is that community power is not a secondary concern but a fundamental pillar of a successful energy transition. Local, community-owned renewable energy projects democratize energy access, redistribute wealth, and enhance resilience. These projects are especially critical in regions that have long been marginalized by extractive energy systems—systems that prioritize corporate profit over community well-being.

WECAN argues that the transition to clean energy must be deeply rooted in climate justice principles. This means ensuring that frontline communities—those who have contributed least to the climate crisis but are most impacted by it—not only benefit from renewable energy but also lead the transformation.

Stories from the frontlines

From India’s desert villages to Indigenous territories in North America, the report highlights grassroots initiatives that are putting power back into the hands of the people.

Barefoot College (India): In the arid region of Tilonia, Rajasthan, the Barefoot College has trained over 1,700 women from 96 countries in solar engineering. Known as “Solar Mamas,” these women return to their villages equipped to install and maintain solar systems, electrifying over 1,300 communities without relying on traditional grid infrastructure. The program empowers women economically while reducing reliance on kerosene, avoiding 45 million liters of pollution.

Native Renewables (USA): On the Hopi and Navajo reservations, Native-led organizations like Native Renewables are deploying off-grid solar systems to homes historically left in the dark by utility companies. The initiative not only delivers clean energy to underserved families but also creates career pathways for Indigenous technicians. It is a model of energy sovereignty, where communities build, own, and maintain their energy systems.

Solar Sister (Sub-Saharan Africa): Addressing both energy poverty and gender inequality, Solar Sister trains women entrepreneurs to sell clean energy products in remote areas. These women, who often operate in last-mile communities, act as vital links in expanding energy access, improving health outcomes, and fostering local economies.

Decentralization as climate strategy

The report emphasizes decentralization as a cornerstone of energy justice. Centralized energy systems often fail to serve rural, remote, and low-income populations. In contrast, decentralized solutions like microgrids, community solar, and energy cooperatives reduce transmission losses, lower costs, and enhance community resilience.

Decentralized energy also increases democratic participation. It allows people to have a say in how their energy is produced and distributed. This shift challenges the traditional monopoly of large utilities and reimagines energy as a public good, not a commodity.

Breaking the barriers

Despite the promise of community-led energy, multiple barriers persist. Chief among them is a financial architecture that continues to funnel subsidies into fossil fuels while neglecting grassroots solutions. Governments and multilateral lenders must reorient financial flows to support community ownership, workforce development, and locally appropriate technology.

Another barrier is the co-optation of “Just Transition” language by corporate interests. The report warns that some renewable energy initiatives replicate the harms of fossil fuel systems by displacing communities, exploiting labor, or damaging ecosystems. True just transitions must reject false solutions like large-scale hydropower, biofuels, and carbon offsets, and instead prioritize circular economies and Indigenous knowledge.

A Blueprint for policymakers

To create an equitable energy future, WECAN outlines several guiding principles:

• Recognize energy as a human right.
• Decentralize ownership and governance.
• Ensure free, prior, and informed consent for Indigenous communities.
• Invest in women’s leadership.
• Redirect fossil fuel subsidies to community renewables.

These principles are not theoretical. They are being practiced in villages, towns, and neighborhoods today. What is needed now is political will and financial support to scale these efforts.

The road to COP30 and beyond

As world leaders prepare for COP30 in Belém, Brazil, the message is clear: the path to climate justice runs through communities. Renewable energy solutions cannot be parachuted in; they must grow from the ground up.

By supporting community-led projects, policymakers can address both climate and inequality at once. The shift to renewable energy is not just about switching fuels—it’s about transforming systems of power, ownership, and opportunity.

The renewable revolution is already underway. And its most powerful force is not in boardrooms or bureaucracies, but in the hands of women building solar panels, Indigenous leaders training local electricians, and communities reclaiming their right to light.