Renewable energy and energy efficiency are recognized among the key factors of transitioning towards a low-consumption and low-carbon society. In order to achieve such transition, the government policies should be aimed at meeting the renewable energy generation and energy efficiency targets of specific localities. Nonetheless, these targets vary between different urban regions, and there is limited knowledge on the correlation between energy transition and urbanization levels. The aim of this paper is to identify that correlation in urban regions. This study places Italian regions under the microscope of an empirical investigation. The study adopts a two-step analysis that provides a useful model for regional analyses. The results of the study consolidates our understanding and highlights that the energy transition process requires greater efforts concerning social participation and provision of incentives for renewable energy production, mainly in the less urbanized areas.

可再生能源和能源效率被认为是向低消耗和低碳社会过渡的关键因素。为了实现这种转变，政府政策应着眼于满足特定地方的可再生能源发电和能效目标。尽管如此，这些目标在不同的城市区域之间有所不同，并且对能源转型与城市化水平之间的相关性知之甚少。本文的目的是确定城市地区的这种相关性。这项研究将意大利地区置于实证调查的显微镜下。该研究采用两步分析法，为区域分析提供了一个有用的模型。