Municipalities and regions are a driving force behind the expansion of renewable energies (RE). Many municipalities and districts are pursuing ambitious climate-protection objectives that even exceed targets set at the national level. These trends are driven by an increased understanding for the necessity of climate-protection and positive regional economic effects that can be generated by the use of renewable energies. Also, the generation of local value added by the use of RE might lead to more acceptance for RE plants by the affected citizens and all other stakeholders. If municipalities recognize this opportunity and the success factors, they can benefit from the restructuring of the energy sector towards a decentralized system by strengthening existing economic structures and opening up new sources of value added in their region.