sustainability Article A Governance Approach to Regional Energy Transition: Meaning, Conceptualization and Practice Thomas Hoppe 1,* and Michiel Miedema 2,3 1 Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management (TPM), Department of Multi Actor System, Organisation and Governance, Delft University of Technology, Jaffalaan 5, 2628 BX Delft, The Netherlands 2 Stadlander, Rooseveltlaan 150, 4624 DE Bergen op Zoom, The Netherlands;
[email protected] 3 Master City Developer, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Burgemeester Oudlaan 50, 3062 PA Rotterdam, The Netherlands * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +31-15-27-82783 Received: 5 November 2019; Accepted: 23 January 2020; Published: 26 January 2020 Abstract: Energy transition requires action from different levels of government. While the national and local level have received ample scholarly attention, thus far little attention has been paid to the regional level. This is remarkable because policy makers across Europe are wondering what governance of regional transition actually is and how to shape and implement it. In the present paper, this concern is addressed. The research questions are, “What does regional governance of energy transition entail? How can it be conceptualized? And what does it mean in practice?” The questions are answered by presenting the results of a multi-disciplinary literature study, presenting a conceptual framework on governance of regional energy transition, using insights from innovation and transition studies as well as from the regional and network governance literature, and applying this to the illustrative case of the West-Brabant region in The Netherlands. West-Brabant is a relatively large region and was home to a pilot that involved the development of a regional energy strategy.